On the afternoon of February 3, the pavement outside Osu Kannon's main hall is a scrum of raised hands and paper bags. A wooden treasure ship called the Osu Maru has just arrived from Hisaya-Odori, its passengers dressed as the Seven Gods of Fortune, and now the bean-throwing begins: handfuls of roasted soybeans arcing off a special stage into the crowd, each one meant to drive out whatever ill luck has followed you into the new year. You will want to be in that crowd, and you will want to arrive early enough to have a good spot.
Throw beans on the stage at Osu Kannon
The centrepiece of Setsubun in Nagoya is the mamemaki festival at Osu Kannon Temple, one of Japan's Great Kannon Temples, in Naka-ku. Bean throwing runs at various times between 10:00 and 18:00 on February 3, on a stage set up in front of the Main Hall. Members of the public can take part for a fee: JPY 3,500 per ticket, or JPY 5,000 for a ticket plus a wooden box of beans, prices subject to change. If you would rather watch than throw, the crowd along the approach is free and the atmosphere is the point.
- Getting there: a short walk northeast from Exit 2 of Osu Kannon Station on the Tsurumai Subway Line, or about seven minutes (550 m) from Exit 8 of Kamimaezu Station on the Tsurumai and Meijo lines.
- Practicalities: there is no parking at the temple. The temple office answers on 052-231-6525, 9:00–17:00.
- Address: 2-21-47 Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 460-0011.
The sources give the 2026 date of February 3 and no separate 2027 programme; Setsubun falls on February 3 each year, but confirm the times and ticket prices with the temple before you travel, as the event page itself warns that details may change.
Follow the Osu Maru from Hisaya-Odori
Before the beans fly, a parade brings the gods to the temple. The treasure ship Osu Maru, carrying the Seven Gods of Fortune, sets out from Kibo no Hiroba Square in Hisaya-Odori Park in the afternoon, starting at 13:18, and makes its way to Osu Kannon. Bean throwing begins once the ship arrives. Stake out a spot on the route in Hisaya-Odori or near the temple approach, and you get both the procession and the throwing without moving far.
Make a day of the Osu neighbourhood
The temple sits at the edge of the Osu Shopping District, south of Sakae, and the streets around it hold enough to fill the hours before and after the ceremony. The same area lists Kigakurin Banshoji Temple, the Nagoya City Art Museum, the Nagoya City Science Museum, the Misonoza Theater, World Idol Republic and Hisaya-Odori Garden Flarie among nearby sights. Arrive by late morning, walk the shopping streets, and time your return to the temple for the afternoon arrival of the ship.
Eat and warm up in Osu
February in Nagoya is cold, and the shopping district's food stalls and cafés are where you thaw out between bouts of standing in the crowd. The sources do not name specific dishes or vendors for the festival, so treat the district's own food streets as your map: graze as you walk between the temple and the arcades, and keep the temple office number handy if you need to check timing.
Plan around February 3
Setsubun is a single-day event, so build your trip around it: book accommodation near Osu or Sakae to walk to both the Hisaya-Odori departure point and the temple, and plan to be on your feet from early afternoon through the bean throwing. Check the official Aichi tourism pages and call the temple office before you go, since the published details are dated to 2026 and may shift for 2027. Start with the date, then let the neighbourhood fill in the rest.