We’ve put together information on 2026 New Year shrine visits at Nishinomiya Shrine, Hirota Shrine, Yakujin-san, and more, including whether food stalls will be set up.
目次
Nishinomiya Shrine (Ebessan)
Gate opening hours
January 1 until 21:00
January 2 and 3 5:00–21:00
January 4–8 5:00–21:00
About 100 stalls inside and outside the shrine grounds
Food stall hours
December 31, 22:00–3:00
January 1, 8:00–21:00
(January 2 and 3: 9:00–21:00)
Every year, about 500,000 people visit during the first three days of the New Year.
Visiting route and more↓
Quoted from Nishinomiya Shrine New Year and Toka Ebisu Event Guide
You can check how crowded it is on the live camera.
For more details on New Year and Toka Ebisu, see here
A bit from our previous report↓
Ebessan-suji gets extremely crowded. So if you go from Chuo Shopping Street toward the old national road, you may be able to move along more smoothly than expected.
They have monkey performances every year. The monkeys are incredibly smart.
This is the upside-down pine. Apparently it’s arranged so Ebessan, riding on horseback, won’t get caught on it.
The sacred horse on the approach. It’s read “shinme.” They say Ebessan used to ride this horse around on patrol. Since this year is the Year of the Horse, this spot may become a power spot too.
Wow! What a line! But it actually moves pretty quickly, so don’t worry.
The main hall is spacious!
There are seats like this too, so you can take your time and relax.
Hirota Shrine
There will be around 15 to 16 food stalls!
On New Year’s Eve, they’ll start around 21:00 or 22:00.
During the New Year period, they’ll gradually open as more visitors arrive, and on January 1 they’ll run until around 18:00. They may close a little earlier on January 2 and 3.
For more details, including New Year’s Eve rituals, see here
Atmosphere↓
Yakujin-san (Mondo Yakujin Tokoji Temple)
There will be about 20 food stalls, and as usual, stalls will also be set up along the route from the station.
Zodiac figurines will be offered for 100 yen.
You can complete the full set in 12 years!
Start time for distribution
【New Year’s Day】0:00–
Distribution of the zodiac figurines starts at 0:00 on New Year’s Day. If there’s a very long line, they may start earlier.
This year is the Year of the Horse. I might want to buy one myself.🐎
Scenes from the 2023 New Year visit↓
Kannoji Temple
