Every year on January 10, early in the morning, thousands of people in western Japan participate in a race where whoever runs the fastest will become the person with the most luck of the year. The race was held at the Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo District in Japan, at the Temple of Ebisu, the Japanese god of fishermen and luck.
Before dawn, about 5,000 people waited outside the temple this year. When the gate opened to the sound of drums at six o’clock, they burst into a sprint towards the main hall, about 230 meters away, to become the first “lucky man” of the Reiwa era, the era of the new Japanese emperor Naruhito, who acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne in May 2019.
In the race that took place last year, in 2020, 33-year-old Yusuka Korogi, a physical education teacher at a high school in the city of Sakai, Osaka province, won.
The runners who came in second and third place were also crowned as "lucky men".
Aside from the happy title of lucky man of the year (fuku-otoko), Yosuka also won a barrel of rice. The winner said he was surprised by the achievement and he looks forward to a successful year and hopes to share his good fortune with other people.
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| Photo: KYODO |
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| Landscape view of the Yogo district in Japan |