Shrine · Shinjuku

Hanazono Shrine 花園神社

Shinjuku's guardian shrine, a vermilion oasis a block from Golden Gai, famous for November's Tori no Ichi fair with giant lucky rakes, and for its long ties to underground theatre.

About

Hanazono Shrine has watched over Shinjuku since before the Edo period and is the area's sochinju, or chief guardian shrine. Today its bright vermilion haiden and red torii sit improbably between department stores, the Golden Gai bar alleys and Kabukicho, making it a favourite late-evening stop for locals. Merchants pray here for business prosperity, and every November, on the days of the rooster, the Tori no Ichi fair fills the grounds and surrounding streets with stalls selling elaborate kumade (bamboo rakes decorated with lucky charms), sealed with rhythmic hand-clapping each time one is sold. The shrine also includes the Geino Asama Shrine, dedicated to the performing arts, whose stone fence carries the names of actors and entertainers; in the 1960s Juro Kara's avant-garde theatre troupe famously staged plays in a red tent here.

Highlights

• Tori no Ichi fair in November (2026: Nov 7 and Nov 19) with kumade lucky rakes and festival stalls
• Geino Asama Shrine for the performing arts, with entertainers' names carved in stone
• Vermilion haiden and torii a short walk from Golden Gai
• Tunnel of small red torii leading to the Inari sub-shrine
• Reitaisai festival in late May with mikoshi through Shinjuku

Tips

• The grounds stay open around the clock, so it makes a calm stop before or after Golden Gai.
• At Tori no Ichi, if you buy a kumade, expect the sellers to clap a tejime chant for you, and haggling is part of the fun.
• Use Shinjuku-sanchome Station Exit E2, about 1 minute away.
• Office hours are daytime only, so get your goshuin before evening.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Deathmatch in HellBars & Nightlife · 100 m away
• La JetéeBars & Nightlife · 110 m away
• Sugoi Niboshi Ramen Nagi (Golden Gai)Ramen & Noodles · 120 m away
• Albatross GBars & Nightlife · 130 m away
• Shinjuku Golden GaiBars & Nightlife · 140 m away
• The Open BookBars & Nightlife · 140 m away
• Thermae-Yu (Shinjuku)Onsen & Sento · 150 m away
• Isetan ShinjukuMall & Department Store · 200 m away