January 18 (Sun) and 19 (Mon), the Yakuyoke Taisai festival will be held at Mondo Yakujin Tokoji Temple. We had several mistakes with the dates🙏 Thanks, Shiran-san!
Almost live report below↓
As in past years, there will be lots of food stalls. Since this year it falls on Sunday the 18th, crowds are expected. If you want to avoid the crowds, Monday the 19th is recommended.
The event runs from 8:00 to 20:00.
厄除け大祭に行く予定はある？
目次
This Year’s Yakudoshi: Could It Apply to You?
Quick reference chart for yakudoshi in Reiwa 8 (2026) These are the people it applies to this year! (This uses the traditional counted age system, so add 1 to your actual age.)
This Year’s Yakudoshi: Could It Apply to You?
Quick reference chart for yakudoshi in Reiwa 8 (2026) These are the people it applies to this year! (This uses the traditional counted age system, so add 1 to your actual age.)
This Year’s Yakudoshi: Could It Apply to You?
Quick reference chart for yakudoshi in Reiwa 8 (2026) These are the people it applies to this year! (This uses the traditional counted age system, so add 1 to your actual age.)
Men
・Great Calamity Year: 25 years old (born in Heisei 14), 41 years old (born in Showa 61), 42 years old (born in Showa 60), 43 years old (born in Showa 59),
・Great Calamity Year at Kanreki: 61 years old (born in Showa 41)
Women
・Great Calamity Year: 19 years old (born in Heisei 20), 32 years old (born in Heisei 7), 33 years old (born in Heisei 6), 34 years old (born in Heisei 5), 37 years old (born in Heisei 2)
・Great Calamity Year at Kanreki: 61 years old (born in Showa 41)
Minor calamity years are below↓
The yellow parts on this chart are minor calamity years. If your birth year applies, you can receive a purification ritual in the main hall.
The pre-yakudoshi and post-yakudoshi years look like this.
Traffic Restrictions Will Look Like This
Here↓
On the 18th and 19th, traffic restrictions will be in place on nearby roads from 9:00 in the morning until 22:30. For nearby residents, garbage collection day has been changed to the 21st. →Details
The event hours are 8:00 to 20:00.
*If you are coming by car, please check nearby parking lots in advance.
How to Enjoy Mondo Yakujin
For those who enjoyed the Ebessan food stalls from January 9 to 11, Mondo Yakujin will also have a huge number of stalls.
Popular stalls will be lined up again this year! Of course there will be classic festival foods like takoyaki, yakisoba, and candied apples, plus a variety of Korean-style foods that have been popular lately.
This is original baby castella from “三宝屋.” You’ll probably have to line up, but that can’t be helped.
We’ll give a quick introduction to things like how to get there from the station.
From Mondo Yakujin Station, cross the pedestrian crossing and head north.
Looks like there’s a line.
These are yakuyoke sake manju. They’re also sold farther ahead. Though we don’t know which spot will be more crowded…
Take the diagonal road on the left along the railway tracks.
Keep going straight, and you’ll see a stone pillar that says “参道←”. Turn left there. Then keep going straight. Well, if you just follow the flow of people, you should get there.
If it’s like previous years, the worship route will probably be set on the day, so just follow that and you’ll be fine!
A map you could stare at forever. You can enter through the Omote-mon Gate or the South Gate. If you follow the route, you should arrive at the Omote-mon Gate.
When you go up the stairs, a painting for the Year of the Dragon was displayed. Keep going and the gate to the main shrine building appears.
Even on January 6, this many worshippers were visiting.
This seems to be called the “Jokoro”, or incense burner, and smoke rises from a large number of incense sticks. Everyone here fans the smoke with their hands toward their bodies. It’s said to purify the body, and there is also a belief that applying the smoke to an unwell part of the body helps it heal.
Final Thoughts
This year it’s being held on Sunday and Monday, so Sunday will likely be very crowded. There’s a saying, “It’s better to take shelter under a great tree,” and places where many people gather seem to be filled with a mysterious kind of energy. As everyone’s prayers come together, that power may draw in even more blessings for warding off misfortune.
