2024-2025 New Year’s Eve bell-ringing at Tokyo temples

Higashi Honganji Temple in Asakusa belongs to the school of Jodo Shinshu, also known as True Pure Land Buddhism. Despite numerous fires and earthquakes, the temple has survived after a series of relocations and reconstructions. Tea ceremonies and flower arrangement classes are held regularly at the temple’s memorial hall. 

For the new year joya no kane, you’ll have to make a reservation in advance from 10am on December 14: online, by phone (03 3843 9511), or at the temple’s main hall. Be quick, though; the event is free and limited to 108 people.

Ticket holders have to be at the temple by 11pm on December 31. You’ll listen to a short explanation and burn incense in front of the main hall before moving over to the bell tower. The bell-ringing takes place from 11.30pm to 12.30am and you’ll receive a special certificate for your participation.

Reservations have now closed.

Lending its name to the nearby Seibu line station, this Shingon temple has stood in Nakano since the 16th century, although the current building is more modern than that. Said to have the power to cure eye illnesses, Araiyakushi is the place to get amulets and ema prayer plaques customised for the purpose.

You can participate in the 2025 joya no kane from 11.45pm until 2am. The first 108 visitors have to pay ¥1,000 (omamori charm included) to join the event. Those participating later only pay ¥500.

People have been flocking to Myohoji since the Edo period (1603-1868). Known as a temple for yakuyoke (warding off evil), the grounds boast a number of historical structures that have been designated cultural properties either by the city or at the national level. The statues of the kongorikishi guardians, which flank the Nio-mon gate, are thought to have been donated by the fourth Tokugawa shogun, Ietsuna.

Only 100 people can partake in the joya no kane bell-ringing from midnight. Numbered tickets will be handed out at 11.30pm and the event finishes at around 1am.

Standing on a lush hill and rising high above the buildings around Ikegami Station, this imposing temple is built on the site where Nichiren, founder of the Buddhist sect of the same name, is said to have died in 1282. Climb the stone stairs from the south and you’ll arrive at the entrance of the enormous and beautiful main building, reconstructed in the 1960s. 

For the joya no kane, you’ll have to pick up a numbered ticket at 11pm at the temple’s bell tower, which is located on the left after stepping through the gate. Only 600 people are allowed to participate in the free event, so make sure to line up early.

The Tokyo branch of the Nishi-Honganji temple in Kyoto, Tsukiji Hongwanji was established in Yokoyamacho near Asakusa in 1617, but the temple went up in flames in the Great Fire of Meireki and was relocated to Tsukiji. Completed in 1934, the current exotic exterior is made of stone with an Indian architectural motif, and is the work of Chuta Ito, a former architecture professor at Tokyo University.

This year, anyone can ring the portable joya no kane at Tsukiji Hongwanji, which is set up adjacent to the staircase leading up to the main hall. Make sure to arrive at the temple grounds early, as warm milk is being handed out for free from 8pm. If you can't make it to the temple, you can also watch the ceremony online.

This Meguro temple enshrines 300 arhat statues, known as Meguro no Rakan-san. The total number of statues was once 536 but many have been destroyed over time. You can also visit the 3.5m-tall Jizo statue that bestows energy and courage to worshippers.

In order to ring the joya no kane, you’ll have to make a reservation by phone (03 3792 6751). Participation costs ¥1,000 (omamori charm included). You can start queueing at 6.30pm to ring the bell between 7pm and 8.30pm, but make sure to pick up your ticket at the temple office on the second floor before heading over to the bell tower. Your reservation will be cancelled if you don’t show up by 8.20pm.

Founded in 1625, Kaneiji Temple is one of the two bodaiji temples of the Tokugawa family that ruled over Japan between 1600 and 1868. Six of the 15 Tokugawa shoguns are buried here.

To partake in the joya no kane ritual at Kaneiji Temple’s Konponchudo main hall, you’ll have to make an advance reservation by phone (03 3821 4440). 

Situated in an area once associated with the Shinsengumi, the famed Edo-era police force, this is the ancestral temple of one of its members, Toshizo Hijikata. The colossal Joroku Fudo Sanson scuplture, which has been designated an important cultural property of Japan, weighs 1,100kg and is said to be the biggest of its kind in the country.

Only the first 108 groups will be able to join in the joya no kane ritual at midnight, so get there early to snag your spot.

The history of Azabu's Zenpukuji temple stretches back over 1,000 years, and it's considered the oldest temple in Tokyo after Sensoji. The temple grounds are home to ginkgo trees that are believed to be around 750 years old and have been designated natural monuments of Japan, while the temple cemetery holds the graves of Yukichi Fukuzawa and many other figures of historical importance.

Here the bell-ringing (free of charge) starts at 11.45pm and goes on deep into the night – prepare to queue up for your turn from 11pm.

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