Today, Saturday, January 18, and Sunday, January 19, the Yakuyoke Taisai grand warding-off-misfortune festival is being held at Mondo Yakujin Tokoji Temple!
As in previous years, there will be lots of food stalls, and it’s expected to be lively with even more visitors than usual. After all, this year it’s being held on a Saturday and Sunday, so it’s expected to be much more crowded than last year, when it fell on weekdays.
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You Might Be in Your Yakudoshi Year This Year!?
Quick guide to yakudoshi unlucky ages for Reiwa 7 (2025) These are the people affected this year! (These are counted ages, so add 1 to your actual age.)
Men
Major yakudoshi: Age 42 (born in Showa 59)
Minor yakudoshi: Age 41 (born in Showa 60), age 43 (born in Showa 58), age 25 (born in Heisei 13)
Kanreki major yakudoshi: Age 61 (born in Showa 40)
Women
Major yakudoshi: Age 33 (born in Heisei 5), age 34 (born in Heisei 4), age 19 (born in Heisei 19)
Minor yakudoshi: Age 32 (born in Heisei 6), age 37 (born in Heisei 1)
Kanreki major yakudoshi: Age 61 (born in Showa 40)
If this is your yakudoshi year, this is a great chance to get a purification ritual! Let the blessing in the main hall clear away those yakudoshi anxieties.
Find People Your Age
- 男25歳 (平成13年生まれ)3.3%(2票)
- 男41歳 (昭和60年生まれ)8.2%(5票)
- 男42歳 (昭和59年生まれ)9.8%(6票)
- 男43歳 (昭和58年生まれ)11.5%(7票)
- 女19歳 (平成19年生まれ)6.6%(4票)
- 女32歳 (平成6年生まれ)9.8%(6票)
- 女33歳 (平成5年生まれ)14.8%(9票)
- 女34歳 (平成4年生まれ)11.5%(7票)
- 女37歳 (平成元年生まれ)8.2%(5票)
- 女61歳 (昭和40年生まれ)16.4%(10票)
Here’s What the Traffic Restrictions Look Like
Here↓
On the 18th and 19th, traffic restrictions will be in place on nearby roads from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. For nearby residents, garbage collection day has been moved to the 20th. →Details
*If you’re coming by car, please check nearby parking lots in advance.
How to Enjoy Mondo Yakujin!
This year again, the hugely popular food stalls will be lined up! Of course there will be classic festival foods like takoyaki, yakisoba, and candy apples, plus various Korean-style treats that have been popular lately.
You definitely can’t miss the original baby castella from “Sanpoya.” Lines are pretty much guaranteed, so going early is recommended!
We’ll also introduce things like how to get there from the station.
From Mondo Yakujin Station, cross the crosswalk and head north.
Looks like people are gathering here.
They’re selling yakuyoke sake manju here. Actually, you can also buy them farther ahead, so no worries. Though we’re not sure which one will be more crowded…
The road on the right runs along the tracks; take the diagonal road in the middle next to it.
Go along the road by the fields, and you’ll see a stone pillar marked “参道←”, so turn left. Then just keep going straight. Well, if you just follow the flow of people, you’ll get there.
If it’s like usual, a designated worship route will be set on the day, so just follow that and you’ll be fine! In the past, you turned right here.
A map you could keep staring at forever. You can enter from the front gate and the south gate. If you follow the route, you should arrive at the front gate.
When you go up the stairs, there was a Year of the Dragon picture on display. Continue farther and the gate to the main hall appears.
Even on January 6, this many visitors had already come.
This seems to be called a “jokoro” incense burner, with smoke rising from a huge number of incense sticks. Everyone here wafts the smoke toward themselves with their hands. It’s said to purify the body, and there’s also a belief that applying the smoke to an ailing part of the body helps it heal.
Finally
Since the festival is being held on a Saturday and Sunday this year, many people will probably come with children or family. As the saying goes, “Better to shelter under a great tree,” places where many people gather are somehow filled with energy. With everyone’s prayers layered together, that power seems likely to draw in even more blessings for warding off misfortune. On this special occasion, why not visit Mondo Yakujin and pray for a peaceful year?
