Ahead of New Year's Eve, a test run to ring the "Joya no Kane" bell was held on December 27, 2024, at Chion-in Temple, the head temple of the Jodo sect of Buddhism in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City. Just like in the real thing, monks joined forces to pull the rope of the striker to strike the bell, and the deep, bass sound of the huge temple bell echoed through Higashiyama at the end of the year.
Chion-in Temple's great bell is 2.8 meters in diameter, 3.3 meters in height, weighs about 70 tons, and was cast in 1636. It is considered one of the "three great temple bells of Japan," alongside those of Hoko-ji Temple (Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City) and Todai-ji Temple (Nara City, Nara Prefecture).
The test run was rung by 17 monks. After all 16 people pull the secondary ropes in unison, at the signal of "Here we go," one monk holding the main rope falls face-up and strikes the bell with the mallet. Many worshippers flock to the bell to catch a glimpse of this dynamic movement.
The New Year's Eve bell ringing begins at 10:40 pm on December 31st.
