Which day of Toka Ebisu should I go on?

The 10th, Hon-Ebisu, is the main day, with the biggest crowds and the full cast of fuku-musume decorating branches; it is the day for photographs of the maidens at work. The 9th, Yoi-Ebisu, and the 11th, Nokori-Fuku, offer the same rites with a far shorter queue. In 2027 the fuku-musume serve from 09:00 to 21:00 on all three days and bamboo is handed out from 07:00 until 01:00. Evenings bring the lantern-lit atmosphere and the food stalls.

Is Toka Ebisu free, and what does the lucky bamboo cost?

Entry to the shrine and its festival streets is free, and so is the sprig of bamboo, which the shrine hands to worshippers during the three days. What you pay for are the charms the fuku-musume attach to it; those prices are set by the shrine each year and are not listed here. Expect to shuffle rather than stroll on the main day, especially in the evening.

How do I reach Imamiya Ebisu Shrine?

It is a short walk from Imamiya-Ebisu Station on the Nankai line or Daikokucho on the Osaka Metro, and the surrounding streets close to traffic for the three days. The dates are fixed at 9 to 11 January every year, so it sits easily within a New Year trip to Osaka. There are no floats or dancers; the spectacle is the crowd and the chant.

Toka Ebisu

Name: Toka Ebisu
Start: 2027-01-09
End: 2027-01-11
Location: Imamiya Ebisu Shrine

十日戎

9–11 January 2027

Osaka

Shrine helpers in matching yellow happi holding decorated sprigs of lucky bamboo hung with gold coins, red sea bream and Ebisu charms, under red and white paper lanterns, as visitors reach up from below — Photo:Lucky bamboo handed out at Imamiya Ebisu, each sprig loaded with charms for a prosperous year. The 10th draws the biggest crowds; the 9th and 11th give you the same rites with a shorter queue.Mixtribe Photo via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · cropped

Toka Ebisu is the moment Osaka's merchant city asks Ebisu, the god of commerce, for a prosperous year. For three days in early January the approach to Imamiya Ebisu Shrine in Naniwa Ward fills with stalls, drumming and the shrine's own chant of "shobai hanjo de sasa motte koi", which roughly translates as "bring your bamboo and business will boom". Visitors are handed a sprig of lucky bamboo, which the shrine gives away, pay to have it decorated with charms by the fuku-musume, the year's chosen "fortune maidens", and carry it home to the shop or office.

The rhythm is fixed: the 9th is Yoi-Ebisu, the eve; the 10th is Hon-Ebisu, the main day; and the 11th is Nokori-Fuku, the "leftover luck". The 10th draws the biggest crowds and the full cast of fuku-musume, so if you want the photographs of the maidens at work, that is the day. If you would rather have your branch decorated without a long wait, the 9th and the 11th offer the same rites with a shorter queue. In 2027 the bamboo is handed out from 07:00 to 01:00 on each of the three days and the fuku-musume serve from 09:00 to 21:00.

The shrine is a short walk from Imamiya-Ebisu Station on the Nankai line or Daikokucho on the Osaka Metro, and the surrounding streets close to traffic for the festival. Come in the evening for the lantern-lit atmosphere and the food stalls, and expect to shuffle rather than stroll on the main day. This is a working prayer for the city's businesses rather than a parade, so there are no floats or dancers; the spectacle is the crowd itself, the shouted blessings and a forest of bamboo held aloft.

Toka Ebisu

Discover what Japan celebrates through the year

Frequently Asked Questions