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Witness the Sacred Omizutori Water-Drawing Festival

Not yet published by Vanessa Boiser

Country: Japan

The Experience

Sacred festivals are celebrated yearly all over Japan to drive away evil spirits, cleanse the mind and body and bring in good luck for the following year. One of these festivals is the remarkable and uninterrupted Omizutori water-drawing festival that has been continuously celebrated for 1200 years. The Omizutori water-drawing festival is the finale weeks' long celebration called Shuni-e, and is held in the Nigatsu-do Hall of the Todai-ji Shrine in Nara, Japan. Monks prepare for this festival as early as December the earlier year when they are chosen and assigned different tasks to perform in the festival. On the latter part of February, the chosen monks are obliged to stay in reclusion under the Nigatsu-do Hall for cleansing and purifying, where they come out on the first day of spring, on the opening of the Omizutori water-drawing festival.

When to Go

Perhaps the best time to see the Omizutori water-drawing festival is on the 13th of March, when finally, monks come out of reclusion, chant and draw water from the Wakasa well which springs only once a year on that day. There are two pots where water is drawn, one of the pots contains water drawn from the Wakasa and the other contains water from the all the previous Omizutori water-drawing festival held in Nara since 752 AD and is preserved yearly to carry on the Omizutori water-drawing festival. Prior to that, monks run around the hall of the Nigatsu-do hall bearing pine torches. Blinds are drawn for the pilgrims to see and bells are rung non-stop. It is said that if the embers of the burning pine torches fall and touch a pilgrim below, it will bring him a year of blessings and good fortune. The weather during this season is mild to cool. However, you may also want to bring umbrellas or raincoats because there might also be occasional rain showers. Bring a warmer or a cardigan if you want to witness the Omizutori water-drawing festival during the night. In addition, you might want to bring shoes that you can easily take off and wear because most museums and buildings nearby do not allow them inside the buildings. The Omizutori water-drawing festival can get very crowded so be prepared to bring lots of water and comfortable shoes.

Odds n' Ends

Accommodation in Japan can get very expensive especially during the holidays. Make sure to reserve way ahead of time to take advantage of early booking discounts. ATMs may be accessed through scattered 7-eleven stores throughout Japan, and there is a wide range of establishments that accept foreign credit cards. The Todai-ji Shrine in Nara, Japan is accessible via Japan Rail. Todai-ji very near the Nara station but remember to take the Yamato Line when traveling by rail to get to Nara. Here is a recommended budget hotel where you may book your stay in Japan to experience the Omizutori water-drawing festival. The hotel is located in Kansai and the staff is multilingual, which is a big plus and it is very near the Japan Rail for convenience.

Yougendo
Website: http://www.yougendo.com/
E-mail: guesthouse@yougendo.com
Tel: +81-745-32-0514

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Language Guides

Japanese is one of the languages spoken in Japan. If you know of a freely available phrase book or podcast for one of the missing languages, let us know!

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