Mihara Shinmei-ichi: A Giant Daruma and a Winter Market

For three days every February, including the second Sunday of the month, the streets on the north side of JR Mihara Station in Hiroshima Prefecture fill with around 500 market stalls. Mihara Shinmei-ichi, known locally as Shinmei-san or simply the daruma market, has long been regarded as the event that announces the coming of spring to the Bingo district. At its centre stands a giant daruma figure 3.9 metres tall. In the middle of a cold Seto Inland Sea winter, the streets from Higashimachi through to Honmachi become dense with people, food smoke and lanterns, and the town of Mihara is at its liveliest.

The Giant Daruma

The symbol of the market is the enormous daruma set up in Higashimachi. The current figure, the fourth generation, stands 3.9 metres high, measures 2.9 metres around, and weighs roughly 500 kilograms. It is built over a frame with layers of newspaper and kraft paper, then finished with a resin coating. Its origins are modest: it is said that around 1950 the Higashimachi 4-chome neighbourhood association put one up as a landmark for a daruma lottery stall. Standing beneath it, you look up at a bright red face far above eye level, and there is a near-permanent queue of people taking photographs. All around it, stalls sell daruma of every size, and visitors choose one to match their particular wish, whether that is business success or passing an examination.

Five Hundred Stalls

The true scale of Shinmei-ichi is measured in stalls. Around 500 vendors come from all over Japan. Walking the streets of Higashimachi, Tatemachi and Honmachi, you pass in quick succession the clatter of takoyaki and yakisoba on iron plates, the sugary smell of candy floss, and the dry spice of stands selling chilli blends and dried goods. There is also a plant and seedling market, where bare-branched saplings and potted plants line the pavement, a reminder that this was originally a market tied to farming and daily life. A daruma procession is held as well. The market runs from 9 in the morning until 8 at night, and walking under the lanterns and bare bulbs after dark has a completely different atmosphere from the daytime. Mihara is also known for its octopus dishes, a natural follow-up to a morning at the market.

A Market Since the Late Muromachi Period

The origins are traced to the late Muromachi period, when nine town associations in Mihara came together to enshrine the deity of Ise Grand Shrine and hold a market, an event repeated in early February ever since. Kobayakawa Takakage, the warlord who built Mihara Castle, is said to have valued the market highly and to have donated a pair of sake casks to it. He is also said to have judged the likely quality of the year's harvest by the size of the crowds, which suggests the market was treated not merely as a fair but as a barometer of the town's economy.

Tips for Visiting

The busiest times are Saturday and Sunday afternoons. To browse at a relaxed pace, aim for the Friday or for a weekend morning. February in Mihara is relatively mild by Japanese standards, but temperatures drop sharply after sunset and you will be outdoors for hours, so a heavy coat plus gloves, a scarf and a disposable heat pack make a real difference.

Getting There

The venue is the area immediately north of JR Mihara Station, so you step out of the ticket gates and straight into the market. Mihara Station is served by the Sanyo Shinkansen as well as the Sanyo Main Line and the Kure Line, which makes it easy to reach from Hiroshima City or from Fukuyama. Coming by train is by far the most reliable option.

Practical Information

• Dates: Three days in February including the second Sunday (Friday to Sunday)
• Venue: The area north of JR Mihara Station (Higashimachi, Tatemachi and Honmachi), Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture
• Hours: 9:00 to 20:00
• Organiser and enquiries: Mihara Shinmei-ichi Association; Mihara City Tourism Division, tel. 0848-67-6014; Mihara Tourism Association, tel. 0848-67-5877
• Access: Immediately outside JR Mihara Station (Sanyo Shinkansen, Sanyo Main Line, Kure Line)
• Parking: No dedicated parking. Use paid car parks in the area
• Official website: http://www.mhr-cci.or.jp/shinmei/

* Dates, details and prices are subject to change. Please check the official website before you go.

(Sources: Mihara Shinmei-ichi official website, Mihara City official website, Mihara Kanko Navi)