Written by JC Team
One of the many traditional Setsubun festivals taking place across Kyoto (and Japan), Yasaka Shrine’s version has an unusual and exciting twist.
What happens?
Yasaka Shrine’s Setsubun celebration features geiko — the Kyoto version of geisha. You can watch them throw them fukumame (fortune beans). All we have to say is good luck trying to catch them, the crowd gets pretty enthusiastic.
Visitors can also participate in a lottery, though note that the queue to get tickets can get quite long. How it works is that you pay an offering fee of ¥300 for a bag of lucky beans. As a part of this, you receive one raffle ticket. Then, at the lottery booth, you will draw and receive a prize exchange ticket. Some of the grand prizes include home appliances such as rice cookers and TVs.
Schedule
On the first day, there will be dance performances and a bean-throwing ceremony from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. If you want a good view or have a better chance of catching the beans, we recommend getting there 10 to 15 minutes early — even earlier if you have the chance.
On the second day, there will be an additional lion dance, with performances taking place between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The Pontocho Kabuki Performance at 1 p.m. is one of the day’s highlights.
Organizers may cancel events, alter schedules, or change admission requirements without notice. Always check official sites before heading to an event.- 0.6 km from Gion-Shijō Station Keihan Main Line (KH39)
- 0.7 km from Higashiyama Station Tōzai Line (T10)
- 0.8 km from Sanjō Keihan Station Tōzai Line (T11)
