Today, Saturday, January 18, Nishi2 supporters are at the Yakuyoke Grand Festival at Mondo Yakujin Tokoji Temple, so we’ll be sharing what it’s like in something close to real time.
First up, this came in from Kokuren.
A huge line at “Sanpoya”, Nishinomiya’s iconic baby castella stall.
Still, this line is Expo-level. Sanpoya is Nishinomiya’s Expo.
Apparently, Akashiyaki is a sure bet. This is exactly what you want on a cold day. 600 yen.
Important info for anyone heading there from now
Bringing a trash bag is good luck
The reason is that “there were no trash disposal areas at all, so if you’re hopping between food stalls, dealing with garbage was tough.”
厄神大祭は行きますか〜？
Now let’s get into the report. From Kagayaki 509-go, a Nishi2 supporter.
This many people already, just on the approach from the station!
If you keep walking along the approach, you’ll arrive at Tokoji Temple, so you probably won’t get lost.
As expected, it’s packed and lively. Even the incense area is full.
A fire bell from an area affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake was on display.
It looks like you can ring the bell like this. Yesterday was 1.17, the anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The Noto Peninsula is still facing very difficult conditions. It would be great if support for recovery could spread further.
There’s a packed line.
So powerful. It’s a ritual where all kinds of desires are burned and turned into smoke. More specifically, it’s a ritual called Saito Ogoma Gonshu, where worldly desires are burned away in the wisdom flames of Fudo Myoo. ← There’s no way you can read that.
This ritual will also be held from 10:00 on the 19th.
Mondo Yakujin “Tokoji” has this solemn atmosphere, but…
The zodiac illustration is super cute.
There’s also a fire truck, so little kids can enjoy it too.
And Sudachi-kun, a mascot character from Tokushima Prefecture, was there too. He comes every year. Looks like he’s from Kamiyama Town.
And what we’re curious about is this year’s food stalls. We’ll keep adding real-time reports on the stalls and more, so stay tuned.
Food stalls are set up around Hankyu Mondo-Yakujin Station.
There’s even Mickey-yaki.
There are also stalls along the river after turning at the Lawson near the station.
PAR, the Indian restaurant, is selling food too.
Honey cheese sounds sweet.
Savory taiyaki. Bacon-and-egg taiyaki is unusual.
This line is for Sanpoya.
The street where places like Lifort are located has become a pedestrian zone, and there are tons of stalls.
Where a crowd had gathered…
The monkey performance was back again this year.
It’s a duo called “Tentekomai” from Kobe Monkeys Theater. The monkey’s name is Mai. Apparently they’re here for the first time in three years.
So cute. At 15:30, they’ll apparently switch over to “Ainote,” the duo that came to this year’s Toka Ebisu.
From here, we’ll quickly introduce all kinds of stalls and more.
In front of Lawson, they’re selling all kinds of food.
There are lots of warm-looking menu items, like hot wine, motsunabe, and ozenzai. It’s also nice that the prices are relatively low.
