I went to the Tondo Matsuri at Kintai this year to drop off my parents’ New Year wreath and to give my offerings. I want to say that I go every year, but I don’t. I want to go every year, but it just doesn’t always work out for me. This festival is held every year around the lunar new year at many shrines and large public areas all throughout Japan. People drop off their New Year decorations and any lucky charms from the previous year to have it all burned in a ceremonial bonfire.
Once I handed off my wreath, I walked around a little bit and tried to stay warm while I waited for the ceremony to begin. I also stood by some fires like the one in the photo below to warm up a little whenever I got really cold. 
Many people were walking up and handing off their bags of decorations and good luck charms from the previous year, and then placing their offerings into the wooden boxes placed in front of the platform. There was even a huge Daruma doll that someone had dropped off.
The ceremony began a little after 5pm and lasted about thirty minutes.
People were still bringing items to add to the bonfire and the pile was getting pretty big. At some point they had started placing items in front of the platform. The wooden box in the front is where people placed their offerings. It can be any amount. It’s basically a donation to the shrine.
They were offering hot, sweet bean soup with mochi, but I didn’t get any because it was very crowded and I was doing a no sugar challenge (sigh). If I was able to have sugar, I probably would have stood in the line because I do love the sweet beans! Different places offer different hot foods to keep you warm. I know one shrine offers a chunky type of miso soup called “tonjiru” at their Tondo bonfire.
Typically the bonfire would be lit by someone who was born in the year of the rooster since that’s what this year is, but this one was a little bit different. The guests of honor were the ones who lit this fire.
Ahhh….it was so beautiful and ….so warm! It felt so good! While we were all standing there watching the fire, people were still dropping items off.
After a little while, I started seeing people throw in sheets of paper with Japanese calligraphy on them. If the paper with their calligraphy floats up, then it is believed that they will be a good calligrapher.
This year was the 20th year that this ceremonial bonfire was held at Kintai. It was kind of perfect how it ended up being on the same day as the Coming of Age holiday, where Japanese people celebrate those who are 20yrs of age. This is the age that people are officially considered to be adults in Japan.
If you can’t make it to the one at Kintai or you want to see a different one, there are quite a few locations that are not too far from Iwakuni that are worth checking out. Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima holds theirs near the large Torii gate and the Gokoku Shrine in Hiroshima has a pretty elaborate bonfire that is definitely worth seeing.
The one at Kintai is held on the rocks where the tour buses usually park. There is plenty of parking.
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