🏮 Waraiko
笑い講
Hofu, Yamaguchi (Omata Hachimangu Shrine) · Every year on 31 December
Official site →108 days to go
Rooms around Hofu, Yamaguchi fill up while the festival is on.
The Warai-ko ritual at Komata Hachimangu Shrine in Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is held every year on December 6. It is a Shinto ceremony passed down in the Omichi-Komata district and has been designated an intangible folk cultural property of Hofu City. It is a rare "laughter ritual" even nationwide, in which participants hold sakaki branches, give thanks for this year's harvest and pray for a good crop next year, and laugh away the year's troubles with hearty laughter—a year-end curious festival. The highlight is the sight of the participants, formally dressed in montsuki hakama, all laughing together three times with a loud "Wah-hah-hah-hah." Their powerful laughter echoes through the shrine grounds, and worshippers find themselves smiling as well. The laughter ritual begins around 13:00 and attracts many people as a year-end tradition unique to Hofu City.
Getting there
To Komata Hachimangu Shrine (Omichi-Komata district, Hofu City). The nearest station is JR Hofu Station; take a bus or taxi from there.
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