The Kanmon Strait, guided by torchlight; prayers for the sea passed down through generations
Mekari Ceremony
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Early morning on New Year’s Day according to the lunar calendar, every year / Every year
- Location
- Mekari Shrine
- Area
- Fukuoka Prefecture・Kitakyushu City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 50 min–2 h 10 min · flight time only)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Features
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
At Mekari Shrine, overlooking the Kanmon Strait, priests enter the sea at low tide and harvest wakame in this traditional ritual. At the early-morning shore, illuminated by torches, prayers for safe voyages and a good catch are offered.
About Mekari Ceremony
The Mekari Ceremony is a festival ritual and intangible folk cultural property passed down at Mekari Shrine in Moji Ward, Kitakyushu City.
As a New Year’s ritual to pray for good fortune in advance, participants enter the sea early on New Year’s Day according to the lunar calendar, harvest wakame, and offer it before the gods.
The ritual is said to originate in an ancient account of Empress Jingū offering wakame before the gods. It has been passed down as an important local rite for praying for safe voyages and a good catch.
Source: 【県指定】和布刈行事 - 北九州市 / 和布刈神事（めかりしんじ） - 北九州市
Festival highlights
The highlight is the moment when priests, guided by torchlight, enter the sea at low tide to harvest wakame.
The 3 priests wear eboshi hats, kariginu robes, white tabi socks, and sandals, and cut wakame growing on underwater rocks one piece at a time with sickles.
With the dark strait as a backdrop, the torches and the priests stand out strikingly in a quiet, mystical scene.
Source: 和布刈神事 | イベント | 【公式】福岡県の観光/旅行情報サイト「クロスロードふくおか」
The Kanmon Strait, guided by torchlight; prayers for the sea passed down through generations
What to expect
The ritual begins with a performance, after which 3 priests descend to the sea at low tide.
Each priest carries a torch, a bucket, or a sickle; they harvest wakame underwater and offer it before the gods.
Visitors watch the priests enter the sea and follow the series of rites through to the offering of the harvested wakame.
How to take part
The ritual is performed by priests; it is not an event where members of the public enter the sea to harvest wakame.
There was once a custom of avoiding visits to watch the ritual, but viewing has been permitted since the postwar period.
Members of the public can take part by watching from designated places, such as the .
Location and access
- Venue and address
Mekari Shrine (3492 Moji, Moji Ward, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture).
- Train and bus
About 25 minutes on foot from JR Mojiko Station.
Take Nishitetsu Bus route 4 or 74 from “Mojiko Station” and get off at “Mekari Shrine.”
Tourism information says that Nishitetsu Bus from JR Mojiko Station takes you to the “Mekari Shrine” stop, just outside the shrine.
- By car
About 7 minutes by car from Mojiko Station.
About 15 minutes from the Moji IC on the Kyushu Expressway, about 10 minutes from the Kasuga IC on the Kitakyushu Urban Expressway, and about 5 minutes from the Mojiko IC on the Kyushu Expressway.
- Parking
Use of the shrine parking lot is listed.
Nearby options include the parking lot in front of Mekari Saltwater Pool.
Source: アクセス｜和布刈神社
Address 3492 Moji, Moji Ward, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture 801-0855
Dates and season
- Season
Early morning on New Year’s Day according to the lunar calendar, every year
- Frequency
Every year
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Fukuoka Prefecture / Kitakyushu City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The main ritual takes place from late night into the early morning, and the part involving entering the sea is performed at low tide.
Since you will be waiting for a long time by the shore in winter, dress warmly and take care to stay safe on your feet while watching.
Information indicates that public transportation is difficult to use because services are not running at that time, so it is important to check your transport arrangements for the early morning in advance.
Nearby attractions
Nearby are Mekari Park, the Kanmon Bridge, the Kanmon Tunnel pedestrian passage, and Norfolk Plaza.
Along with Mekari Shrine overlooking the Kanmon Strait, this is a place to experience the scenery along the strait and Moji’s history.
Tourism information also lists facilities in the Mojiko Retro district, the Mojiko Retro Observation Room, and the Former Moji Customs House as nearby attractions.
九州鉄道記念館
北九州市にある鉄道博物館
北九州市立いのちのたび博物館
北九州市八幡東区にある博物館
北九州市立松本清張記念館
日本の文学館
北九州市立美術館
北九州市にある美術館
Mekari Shrine
北九州市門司区にある神社
小倉城
福岡県北九州市小倉北区にあった城
写真：No machine-readable author provided. Historian~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY 2.5
Photo source ·
河内藤園
福岡県の公園・庭園のスポットです。
Origins and History of Mekari Ceremony
The Mekari ritual is said to originate in an ancient account of Empress Jingū offering wakame from the Hayatomo Strait before the gods to celebrate her victorious return.
Once considered a secret rite, it was said that “your eyes would be blinded if you watched the ritual,” and there was a period when no one came to view it.
Viewing was permitted after the war, and today the wakame-harvesting part of the series of rites is designated an intangible folk cultural property by the prefecture.
Official information
Kitakyushu City lists the Mekari Ceremony as an intangible folk cultural property designated by the prefecture.
The phone number for Mekari Shrine is published as the contact for inquiries about the event, and can be used to check details about the ritual’s origins or viewing.
Mekari Ceremony at a Glance
The Mekari Ceremony is an intangible folk cultural property designated by the prefecture and passed down at Mekari Shrine.
Early on New Year’s Day according to the lunar calendar, 3 priests enter the sea at low tide guided by torches, harvest wakame, and offer it before the gods.
Rooted in an ancient account of Empress Jingū, this ritual prays for safe voyages and a good catch. Visitors watch it unfold against the quiet winter scenery of the Kanmon Strait.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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