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🏮 Osame no Daishi

納めの大師納めの大師

Adachi, Tokyo (Nishiarai Daishi) · Every year on 21 December

Food stalls

98 days to go
Rooms around Adachi, Tokyo fill up while the festival is on.

Neru no Daishi is a year-end festival held every year from December 20 to 21 at Nishiarai Daishi (Sojiji Temple) in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, visited to give thanks for the past year. Formally called "Neru no Daishi," many worshippers pray for their safety over the past year and for happiness in the year to come. The festival's origin is said to lie in the faith surrounding Kobo Daishi Kukai, beginning with the meaning of "closing out" the Daishi at the end of the year. Nishiarai Daishi is known as one of the leading sacred sites in the Kanto region for warding off evil, and it draws especially large numbers of visitors during Neru no Daishi. Highlights include the street stalls lining the temple grounds and the daruma market held on the final day. The sale of daruma (good-luck daruma dolls) is particularly famous, and the grounds bustle with people seeking a new daruma for the New Year. Ritual ceremonies such as goma burning (homa) are also held, allowing visitors to close out the year in a solemn atmosphere.