Temple bell at night — Photo: Hideki Sato/Pixabay

Photo: Hideki Sato/Pixabay

2023-2024 New Year’s Eve bell-ringing at Tokyo temples

Cast away your troubles and start the 2024 new year afresh with these traditional temple bell-ringing rituals

Friday 15 December 2023

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Joya no kane is the traditional bell-ringing ceremony held across Japan on New Year’s Eve. Celebrating the passing of the old year while welcoming a new one, the custom sees temple bells rung a total of 108 times, once for each of the worldly desires or anxieties central to Buddhism, starting in the old year and finishing right as the clock strikes midnight.

Some temples even invite people to participate in the ringing but these usually require the public to register in advance for the experience. Most temples, however, are limiting the practice to monks only.

If you'd like to strike the bell to kickstart 2024 with a bang, or you’re happy to just watch and listen, read on for our picks of the top Tokyo temples to visit for the joya no kane ceremony.

RECOMMENDED: Some Tokyo trains have extended service on New Year's Eve and we have the timetables.

Best places to witness the ritual

Sensoji Temple

Attractions
Religious buildings and sites
Asakusa

Photo: Keisuke Tanigawa

Sensoji Temple is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. The temple's colossal vermillion Kaminarimon Gate welcomes millions of visitors year-round, however, it's most popular for hatsumode (first shrine/temple visit of New Year).

While waiting in line to make your prayer for the new year along the Nakamise shopping street, which is decked out with New Year’s decorations and stalls selling seasonal memorabilia and souvenirs, you can listen to the joya no kane that will be rung at midnight by temple staff.

Zojoji Temple

Attractions
Religious buildings and sites
Shiba-Koen

Photo: Zojoji Temple

The main temple of the Buddhist Jodo sect in the Kanto area, Zojoji was built in 1393 and moved to its present location in 1598. The main hall has been destroyed three times by fire in the last century, so the current building is actually a 1970s reconstruction. The most historic element is the Sangedatsumon main gate, which dates back to 1605 and is the oldest wooden structure in Tokyo. A mausoleum in the grounds contains the tombs of six Tokugawa shoguns.

Even though tickets to ring the bell have sold out, you can still visit Zojoji Temple to witness the ceremony. Bonus: you'll also get a great view of Tokyo Tower while you're there.

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Tsukiji Hongwanji

Attractions
Religious buildings and sites
Tsukiji

Photo: Keisuke Tanigawa

The Tokyo branch of the Nishi-Honganji temple in Kyoto, Tsukiji Honganji was established in Yokoyamacho near Asakusa in 1617, but relocated to Tsukiji after the temple went up in flames in the Great Fire of Meireki. Completed in 1934, the current South Asia-inspired architecture is the work of Chuta Ito, a former architecture professor at Tokyo University.

This year, the bell-ringing will be conducted by temple staff after the Buddhist service on New Year's Eve (in Japanese only), which is limited to 250 people who made a reservation in advance. However, you can still visit the temple and listen to the bell’s resonant tones.

Best places to ring the bell

Gohyakurakan-ji Temple

Museums
Meguro

Photo: Gohyakurakanji Temple

This Meguro temple enshrines 300 arhat statues, known as Meguro no Rakan-san. The total number of statues was once 536 but many have been destroyed over time. You can also visit the 3.5m-tall Jizo statue that bestows energy and courage to worshippers.

In order to ring the joya no kane, you’ll have to make a reservation by phone (03 3792 6751). Participation costs ¥1,000 (omamori charm included). You can start queueing at 6.30pm to ring the bell between 7pm and 8.30pm, but make sure to pick up your ticket at the temple office on the second floor before heading over to the bell tower. Your reservation will be cancelled if you don’t show up by 8.20pm.

Honzan Higashi Honganji Temple

Museums
Asakusa

Higashi Honganji Temple in Asakusa belongs to the school of Jodo Shinshu, also known as True Pure Land Buddhism. Despite numerous fires and earthquakes, the temple has survived after a series of relocations and reconstructions. Tea ceremonies and flower arrangement classes are held regularly at the temple’s memorial hall.

For the 2024 new year joya no kane, you’ll have to make a reservation in advance from 10am on December 17: online, by phone (03 3843 9511), or at the temple’s main hall. Be quick, though; the event is free and limited to 108 people.

Ticket holders have to be at the temple by 11pm on December 31. You’ll listen to a short explanation and burn incense in front of the main hall before moving over to the bell tower. The bell-ringing takes place from 11.30pm to 12.25am and you’ll receive a special certificate for your participation.

Not to worry if you couldn't make prior registration. You can also sign up on New Year's Eve from 11pm to 12midnight. This allows you to ring the bell after the 108 people who have prior reservations.

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Araiyakushi Baishoin

Attractions
Religious buildings and sites
Araiyakushi-mae

Lending its name to the nearby Seibu line station, this Shingon temple has stood in Nakano since the 16th century, although the current building is more modern than that. Said to have the power to cure eye illnesses, Araiyakushi is the place to get amulets and ema prayer plaques customised for the purpose.

You can participate in the 2024 joya no kane from 11.45pm until 2am. The first 108 visitors have to pay ¥1,000 (omamori charm included) to join the event. Those participating later only pay ¥500.

Horinouchi Myohoji

Attractions
Religious buildings and sites
Koenji

堀之内妙法寺

People have been flocking to Myohoji since the Edo period (1603-1868). Known as a temple for yakuyoke (warding off evil), the grounds boast a number of historical structures that have been designated cultural properties either by the city or at the national level. The statues of the kongorikishi guardians, which flank the Nio-mon gate, are thought to have been donated by the fourth Tokugawa shogun, Ietsuna.

Only 100 people can partake in the joya no kane bell-ringing from midnight. Numbered tickets will be handed out at 11.30pm and the event finishes at around 1am.

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Ikegami Honmonji

Attractions
Religious buildings and sites
Ikegami

Photo: 恵藤/Photo-AC

Standing on a lush hill and rising high above the buildings around Ikegami Station, this imposing temple is built on the site where Nichiren, founder of the Buddhist sect of the same name, is said to have died in 1282. Climb the stone stairs from the south and you’ll arrive at the entrance of the enormous and beautiful main building, reconstructed in the 1960s.

For the joya no kane, you’ll have to pick up a numbered ticket at 11pm at the temple’s bell tower, which is located on the left after stepping through the gate. Only 300 people are allowed to participate in the free event, so make sure to line up early.

Kaneiji Temple

Museums
Uguisudani

寛永寺

Founded in 1625, Kaneiji Temple is one of the two bodaiji temples of the Tokugawa family that ruled over Japan between 1600 and 1868. Six of the 15 Tokugawa shoguns are buried here.

To partake in the joya no kane ritual at Kaneiji Temple’s Konponchudo main hall, you’ll have to make an advance reservation by phone (03 3821 4440).

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Takahata Fudoson

Attractions
Religious buildings and sites
Tama area

高幡不動尊金剛寺

Situated in an area once associated with the Shinsengumi, the famed Edo-era police force, this is the ancestral temple of one of its members, Toshizo Hijikata. The colossal Joroku Fudo Sanson scuplture, which has been designated an important cultural property of Japan, weighs 1,100kg and is said to be the biggest of its kind in the country.

Only the first 108 groups will be able to join in the joya no kane ritual at midnight, so get there early to snag your spot.