New Year's Eve Bell at Chion-in Temple

About

Chion-in's New Year's Eve bell-ringing is one of the defining scenes of the year's end in Kyoto. The temple's great bell, counted among the three largest in Japan, is struck by a team of seventeen monks: the lead ringer calls out "Ee, hitotsu!" and the others answer "Sore!" as they haul the log striker on ropes, while the lead monk hangs backward from the striker and puts his whole body into each stroke. The bell rings 108 times, the number of worldly desires in Buddhist teaching, carrying on past midnight into the new year. Cast in 1636, the bell stands about 3.3 meters tall and weighs around 70 tons. Visitors watch rather than ring it. In 2025, attendance required advance registration (3,000 yen per person), the ringing was also streamed live on YouTube, and a public rehearsal took place a few days earlier, on December 27.

Sources

• OfficialChion-in Temple (Head Temple of Jodo Shu) www.chion-in.or.jp
• Reference2025年 京都市内除夜の鐘 主な一覧｜京都観光Navi ja.kyoto.travel

Last checked: Oct 10, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.

Other events this month

• Daiko-daki Radish Offering at Senbon Shakado (Daihoonji Temple)
• Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza Theatre
• Okera Mairi at Yasaka Shrine