We’ve put together information on 2023 New Year’s visits to Nishinomiya Shrine, Hirota Shrine, Yakujin-san, and more, including whether food stalls will be set up.
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Nishinomiya Shrine (Ebessan)
Opening hours
January 1: 12:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
January 2 and 3: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
January 4 to 8: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Food stalls will return to their pre-COVID scale, with around 300 stalls
Food and drinks are generally for takeout only, and there will be no cafeteria-style stalls.
The haunted house will be back
- Fukuzasa lucky bamboo branches will be available from January 4 through the end of February.
- The layout of the amulet counters will be changed to secure more space for visitors.
- Omikuji fortunes have changed from the cylindrical style to folded fortunes and tai-mikuji sea bream fortunes that visitors choose themselves.
- Goshuin shrine stamps will be pre-written and handed out.
- The serving of sacred sake will be suspended.
- The temizuya purification basin will be closed.
- The bells at the subsidiary shrines within the grounds will be removed.
- Sticking coins onto the Shofuku Oma-maguro lucky giant tuna will be suspended (it looks like coins will go into an acrylic case).
In a typical year, about 500,000 people visit during the first three days of New Year.
By the way, the Fukuotoko race on January 10 will resume for the first time in three years. (Limited to the first 1,200 people: registration starts from 8:30 p.m. on January 9 on the west side of the Enmanji parking lot.)
The worship route and more ↓
From Nishinomiya Shrine New Year and Toka Ebisu event information
You can check how crowded it is by viewing the live camera.
For details about New Year and Toka Ebisu, see here.
Scenes and atmosphere from before COVID ↓
Hirota Shrine
There will be food stalls
For details including New Year’s Eve rituals, see here.
Scenes and atmosphere from before COVID ↓
Yakujin-san (Mondo Yakujin Tokoji Temple)
Food stalls will be set up only within the temple grounds
- Entries in goshuin stamp books are suspended, and pre-written slips will be provided instead.
- Advance reservations are not accepted. Please come on the day and register on site.
- The waiting room after registration is closed.
- Only the person receiving the prayer may enter the hall. (Family members and attendants cannot enter the hall.)
- Groups and companies are limited to three people. The number of people allowed inside the hall is restricted for each prayer session.
Scenes from the 2021 New Year’s visit ↓
Kannoji Temple
There will be a few food stalls. Until January 3.
Members of the public may be able to ring the New Year’s Eve bell
The bell at Kannoji Temple ↓
For the New Year’s Eve bell, it seems members of the 108-kai group will begin ringing the Fifteenth Night bell from around 11:30 p.m. on December 31. If the number of rings is 108 or fewer, members of the public may also be able to ring the bell!
Scenes of the first sunrise of the year ↓
Finally
Food stalls are finally returning to Nishinomiya Shrine. It looks like New Year’s visits will have their usual atmosphere again. It’s likely to be extremely crowded, so be prepared!
