Hanazono Shrine
花園神社 · Hanazono Shrine
- Ward
- Shinjuku
- Price
- Free (kumade rake ¥1,500~)
- Hours
- Grounds always open; office ab
- Closed
- Open daily
- Getting there
- Shinjuku-sanchome Stn E2 exit walk 1 min · Shinjuku Stn east exit walk 7 min
- Founded
- 1590
- Haggling over the lucky rake is a ritual: beat the seller down until he concedes
- When a substantial rake sells
- You return last year's rake and buy a new one — ideally larger than before
We do not republish copyrighted photographs. Use the links below to see the actual venue.
Obvious to locals, invisible to visitors
There is a simple reason guidebooks leave this out: to the people who live here it is too obvious to be worth explaining.
Haggling over the lucky rake is a ritual: beat the seller down until he concedes — then leave the difference as a gratuity. The bargaining is the point, not the discount.
When a substantial rake sells, seller and buyer clap together chanting for safety and prosperity. That sound ringing across the grounds is the essence of the fair.
You return last year's rake and buy a new one — ideally larger than before. Buy from the same seller each year and they will add a tag bearing your name.
During the fair a temporary misemono-goya sideshow opens — a Showa-era form of entertainment now virtually unique to this shrine. Suspended during the pandemic, it returned in 2023.
What it is
Shinjuku is a ward where a mega-terminal abuts narrow alleys. An arm's length separates the owner from the customer — which can feel like too much on a quiet night. Many places stock bottled beer, so no draft is nothing to be disappointed about. Hours go irregular over long holidays; check before setting out. Keep the receipt — it makes the name easy to look up later, since many signs are kanji-only. One stop off the tourist line and this is what appears — that is the nature of this city.
What to order
Why locals keep coming
Similar bars cluster nearby, so there is no need to settle in — the hopping itself becomes the point. The owner works the bar personally, so the quality of conversation is the quality of the place.