“Chikuwa”—an auspicious Japanese food for celebrating the New Year

Have you ever tried *Chikuwa*?

Chikuwa is a unique food product, likely consumed only in Japan. It is made by processing white fish—such as Alaska pollock—into a smooth paste, wrapping this paste around a bamboo or metal rod, and then either grilling or steaming it. Once cooked, the product is removed from the rod, resulting in chikuwa’s characteristic hollow-centered shape. In appearance, it is a rod-like item with a hole running through the middle; the body is generally white, while the outer surface features a browned, grilled finish.

Because of this, chikuwa—with its central hole—is considered an auspicious food, symbolizing the ability to "see clearly through to what lies ahead."

By the way, the name *chikuwa* comes from *chiku* (bamboo) and *wa* (ring). While chikuwa is delicious on its own, it can also be used in a variety of dishes.

Now, I will introduce an auspicious ritual held at a local Japanese shrine, where *chikuwa* is tossed toward the worshippers.

Late on New Year’s Eve, I visited a local shrine in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture.

The following image, taken on the morning of New Year’s Day, shows the *Haiden* (worship hall) of this shrine.

Late on New Year's Eve, in the worship hall, a big ice sculpture of the 2026 zodiac animal, the horse, was being carved by the craftsmen and it was completed about an hour before midnight.    

By the way, this is the order of the twelve zodiac signs.　The cycle of the 12 animals (the 12 zodiac signs)

We waited for the New Year’s countdown while listening to the witty banter of a local rakugo performer (the person on the left). Shrine maidens wear the attire that consists of a white upper garment paired with scarlet trousers.

When the digital clock shows 00:00, shrine maidens began the traditional “chikuwa toss” ritual.

No sooner had the shrine maiden thrown the *chikuwa* bag (indicated by the yellow arrow) than people scramble to grab them. Some of the bags contain "winning" tickets. During two sessions—beginning at midnight and 12:30 a.m.—four shrine maidens and other shrine staffs toss a total of 2,000 *chikuwa* into the worshippers.

Despite occasional light rain, a large number of worshippers gathered around the worship hall late at night, seeking *chikuwa*.   I even saw children who had got their hands on several bags of *chikuwa* each.

After “chikuwa toss”, a New Year's koto performance began on the adjacent Noh stage.