"Tori-no-Ichi" Festival, Held at Otori Shrine in Tokyo’s Asakusa

"Tori-no-Ichi" is a festival held across Japan where people can pray for good business and financial luck. It is held in various locations throughout November, but the "Tori-no-Ichi" held at Ohtori Shrine, said to be the original location of the festival, supposedly receives the most visitors and boasts the most stalls in Tokyo. Visitors purchase lucky “rakes” to bring in the good fortune for the coming year.

Originally the rakes, called “kumade,” were used as agricultural tools, but they soon became a symbol of “raking in” luck and financial fortune, so they eventually became decorative items. The rakes are decorated with lucky items like “koban” gold coins and “tai” sea bream, and they’re sold for a range of prices, anywhere from 1000 yen to several tens of thousands of yen each. There are around 150 different stalls that sell these rakes, so it can be great fun to find just the right rake for you!