Ōme Daruma Market

On the old Ōme Highway, just outside of Ōme Station, Daruma are sold in vast quantities at the nearly 200-year-old Ōme Daruma Market.

What are Daruma?

Daruma are round Japanese dolls designed to represent the founder of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma. Every year, people purchase dolls and fill in the pupil of one of their eyes (the right one) with black and make a wish. When that wish comes true, they fill in the left side. Once the Daruma have completed their purpose, many take their dolls to shrines at the beginning of the year to set them alight.

You can even throw your Daruma into the pyre if they haven’t fulfilled your wish — that’ll show them — but you still need to fill in the eyes.

What happens?

The Ōme Daruma Market is all about shopping for new Daruma, burning old Daruma, and feasting on festival favorites.

As soon as you exit the station, you’ll see dozens of stalls vending the classic: fried noodles, potatoes with butter, okonomiyaki, candied fruits, and the inescapable chocolate-coated bananas on sticks.

The main road is where the majority of the stalls selling Daruma dolls are located. These come in a variety of sizes and colors, in addition to riffs on the original that resemble cats, birds, horses and more.

These stalls are open from 1:30 p.m. to around 7:30 p.m. Expect plenty of families, including small children.

Daruma-burning ritual

Continue walking down the main road. After about three minutes, you’ll arrive at the Sumiyoshi Shrine. This is where people offer their Daruma dolls from the year before to the fire. This ritual is known as otakiage.

If you want to offer your own Daruma doll to the pyre, this is where to do it. You’ll be asked to provide a small offering (most people give around ¥500 to ¥1,000), and write down your name and address in a notebook. Then, you’ll be given a small, wooden lucky charm wrapped in paper.

Make your way forward and offer your Daruma to the attendant. Daruma from any temple will be accepted. Make sure to remove any plastic covering. If your Daruma is in a paper bag, you can leave it as it is and hand both the doll and bag over. The temple no longer accepts kumade decorations, but other straw decorations will be thrown into the fire if you wish.

The fire itself is an enclosed area, with about 3 or 4 attendants managing it at any given time. It’s generally safe, but avoid getting too close to the fire. After you’ve watched your Daruma burn, head up the stairs to offer a prayer. Expect to queue for around 20 minutes or more depending on when you arrive.

Pro tip: The best place to use the restroom is the train station, or right outside the train station. Note that neither the shrine nor any of the shops along the market allow people to access the toilet, even if you purchase something. The Showa Retro Packaging Museum has a cafe with a restroom attached, but note that it may be busy.

How to get there

Ōme Station can be reached directly on the Chūō Line from Tokyo Station in under one and a half hours, and from Shinjuku Station in around an hour. If you want to make a day trip of it, read our dedicated guide to the Okutama area.

For a more comfortable ride with access to restrooms, tray tables, and outlets, consider upgrading to the Green Car (cars 4 and 5). You can purchase a ticket in advance using the Mobile Suica app, on the platform, or at a ticket machine. Purchasing beforehand is recommended as you’ll save around ¥260, compared to purchasing after you get on the train.