Photos: Yanajin33 · CC BY-SA 3.0 (1, 2, 3, 5) · Suikotei · CC BY 4.0
At Fukuotoko-erabi (福男選び), at 6:00 on 10 January, the gate of Nishinomiya Shrine, head shrine of Japan's Ebisu shrines, opens and runners sprint about 200 m to the main hall. The first three are the year's "lucky men". The run was formalised in 1940.
Why it's unique
Nishinomiya Shrine is the head shrine of Japan's Ebisu shrines, and this dawn sprint, formalised in 1940, is its own.
You can run it as well as watch it: about 5,000 people ran in 2025, with front positions decided by lottery the night before.
Before you go
Front positions go by lottery the night before; everyone else starts behind. About 5,000 people ran in 2025. Watch from beside the main hall, not the gate, to see the finish.
During the festival a whole bluefin tuna is offered at the shrine, and worshippers press coins into it for luck, a custom since 1970.
