Daruma Ichi

Lot's of Daruma.





Lot's of friends.

And Lot's of good fortune.

Jindaiji Daruma Ichi

The Daruma Ichi (the Daruma Market) is held annually at Jindaiji on March 3 and 4. This is one the three largest Daruma Ichi in the Kanto region.





Vendors from around Japan gather at this event to sell Daruma for good fortune. As you can see that the Daruma comes in many sizes.



You may or may not know about the Daruma. One eye is drawn in at purchase. At that time, you make your wish or attaining your goal. It could be health, prosperity or whatever else.

Once your goal or wish has been attained. The other eye is drawn in.

Jindaiji

Jindaiji is a laid back suburb of Tokyo.
We we were there on March 3, 2009 to visit the annual Daruma Ichi (Daruma Market).
To get to Jindaiji, we took the Keio line to Chofu Station. From there, we rode the bus.

The Daruma Ichi is a big event in Tokyo. In fact it is one the top three Daruma Markets in the Kanto area.

Consequently, there was a long line to ride the bus. We stood in line. We were just one bus load away from the front at 10:30 AM. 15 minutes later, the line doubled. We noticed that other than children, we seem to be the youngest people in line to catch the bus. The people in line were mostly senior citizens.

Well, we boarded the bus thinking that this was a special bus going to Jidaiji Temple. What would give us that idea? The bus company worker with the megaphone announcng the arrival and departure of the bus going to Jindaiji. Little did we know that this was a local bus. It is not good to stand by the exit on a local bus. We learned that the hard way as we were pushed and prodded by the seniors to get off their stop. Seniors are not a laid back group in Japan.






A group picture in front of a soba restaurant.



Our reward was to dine on the famous Jindaiji Soba. Here is a picture of us in front of an establishment with a water wheel.




Nameko Sansai Soba. Really delicious. The noodles are a little coarse and the noodles are cut a little thicker. The texture is just right to bring out the flavors of the rich broth.

Jindaiji Soba

We attended Jindaiji's annual Daruma-ichi. The other "must do" on our plans was to have Jindaiji Soba. Jindaiji Soba is hand rolled and cut. What makes this soba special is that is made from buckwheat harvested from the region which is mixed with local spring water. Our soba was a thicker cut. The soba was fairly firm with a little texture. Many times, soba is either really soft or stiff. Jindaiji soba seems to be a perfect middle ground.

The broth was perfect. It's the classic dashi but not overly flavored to complement the star of the dish, the soba.

Since it was cold (for us from Hawaii), most of us had the hot soba.

I had the nameko sansai soba. The soba had nameko (a type of mushroom), with sansai (preserved mountain vegetables, fern shoots)and a raw quail egg. The combination was marvelous. I really enjoyed my lunch that day.



Can you see the sound of silence. Well maybe you can hear the slurping.

Day 5: Daruma Ichi

On March 3, we went to the Daruma Ichi (Daruma Market) at Jindaiji Temple. Jindaiji Temple is located in Chofu about half hour via train from Shinjuku station. Jindaiji is one of the oldest temples in Tokyo.

The Daruma Ichi is an annual event held on March 3 and 4.

There are many vendors that sell Daruma at the festival. There are hundred of thousands of people that purchase the Daruma for good luck. We braved the crowds to purchase our Daruma.

You can fill in the eye yourself. Or you can have one of the priests draw the eye in and bless the Daruma.