| Normally a pretty quiet temple, Kawasaki Daishi is packed on New Year's day. Other than lots of food stalls day and night, people line up around the block for their turn to enter the temple to pray for the new year, since it's supposedly the second most visited temple in Kanto. In 2015, we went in the early afternoon and in 2016 in the late afternoon until it got dark - both times we had to line up for 30 minutes or so to get in - it might look like a long wait, but it wasn't that bad. Basically, they let a bunch of people in at 5-minute intervals. On the right hand side of the main door, there is a building where you can bring in daruma dolls from last year to be burnt. There are many food stands and street vendors along the road and also on temple grounds until at least 6 pm. |
line to get in |
30 minutes later |
place to bring in old daruma |
