but yokohama chinatown is especially crowded during chinese new year. this acrobatic lion dance group is made up of alumni from a local chinese school. members have put in years of training to preserve this traditional art form. >> translator: we dance in front of shops to wish them good business. we also hope the lion dance will bring a good year to the audience. >> reporter: these lions are considered messengers of god. they ward off the bad and bring good fortune. the owners of restaurants and shops here hang little envelopes filled with money at their entrances. when a lion comes to grab it, that's a sign good business is in store. and it's a sign the more than 600 shops and restaurants here have been hoping to see. last year's march 11th disaster hurt business. >> translator: many shops closed down here in chinatown. even stores on the main streets were gone. but business finally started to pick up around october. >> reporter: restaurants offer special new year's meals. chefs add their own touches to fish and bok choy, chicken and lobster, or speci