Typically held on February 3, Setsubun is an early spring festival celebrated throughout Japan to mark the end of winter. The Dojima Yakushido Setsubun Omizukumi Matsuri, however, merges traditional Setsubun rites with the relatively new Dojima Yakushido Water-Drawing Ceremony, created in 2004 to help revitalise Osaka and reaffirm its identity as the ‘city of water’. Since then, this unique festival has become a major celebration in Dojima and Kitashinchi districts each February.
The festivities kick off at Dojima Yakushido temple with traditional Setsubun rituals. In addition to a purification ceremony, you can witness the oni‑oi demon chasing, where groups of participants – each consisting of ‘lucky men’, monks and demon figures – parade through the streets to drive away misfortune for the new year.
Later in the evening, the festival continues at Dojima Avanza, where monks perform shomyo Buddhist chants and local geisha present traditional dances. Don’t miss the dragon procession happening from 6.10pm to 7.30pm. During this festival highlight, a majestic dragon winds through the streets of Kitashinchi, accompanied by women practising the Obake custom, in which they wear playful disguises to ward off bad luck. This vibrant procession sure is a memorable way to cap off one of Osaka’s most distinctive festivals.