Have you heard of a daruma before? No? You’re in luck (literally)!
These lucky charms are an important part of Japanese society, and today we’re going to the birthplace of the Daruma — the Shorinzan Darumaji Temple in Takasaki, Japan. Let’s check it out!
WHAT IS A DARUMA?
I realize this might be a pretty boring blog post if you haven’t heard of a Daruma before, so let’s start off with that!
A Daruma is a Japanese lucky charm with an interesting history. Once upon a time, there was a Buddhist monk called Bodhidharma who stared at a wall and snapped into a deep meditation. After 9 years of being in this trace, his arms and legs rotted and fell off, and he got so angry at himself that he cut off his eyelids so that it would never happen again (tell that to yourself next time you oversleep 
)
Bodhidharma was the inspiration for the first daruma, which is a circular doll that also doesn’t have any arms, legs, or eyelids. The original dolls were used as a lucky charm for farmers in Takasaki, who kept the darumas to ward off bad luck and to bring happiness to their family. Fast forward 200 years and these dolls are still as popular as ever.
Want to check out the birthplace of the Daruma and get your own? Keep reading and take a trip to Takasaki!
HOW TO GET TO TAKASAKI
Takasaki is an easy day trip from Tokyo. Here’s a quick guide:
From Tokyo Station, take the Joetsu Shinkansen (high-speed bullet train) to Takasaki Station. This is a 50-minute ride.
If you’re planning to travel to Japan for more than 5 days and want to visit different cities, I highly recommend the JR Pass (Japan Rail Pass), which we used to travel on the bullet train routes during our trip.
At Takasaki Station, take the Shinetsu Line and get off at the second stop (Gumma-Yawata Station). From here it’s an easy 1-mile (~20 minute) walk to the Shōrinzan Daruma-ji Temple.
You can’t miss it – there are a ton of little daruma markers along the road!
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SHORINZAN DARUMA-JI TEMPLE
Once you arrive at the Shorinzan Darumaji Temple (Also known as the “Daruma Temple” with locals), you’ll be immediately greeted by Darumas of all shapes and sizes: huge darumas, small darumas, happy darumas, angry darumas (is he still mad about meditating for 9 years?), old darumas … I think you get my point. You can easily spend a few hours at the temple, so I’ll break it down into sections.
The first area, when you just walk in, is a small shrine (Darumado / 達磨堂) where there are hundreds of darumas laying on top of each other. People from around the world send darumas here as a gift, and politicians will often use them in hopes of winning an election.
As you walk further, you’ll get to the information center and mini gift shop. You can go inside and watch a short film about the making of a daruma, or browse through the cute knick-knacks for sale.
A little further ahead is a huge bell that you can ring and wish for peace.
If you take the stairs to the top, you’ll see a few more buildings that look like a temple. The one in my photo is another small gift shop (and a photo opportunity with a huge daruma statue!) and the building to the side is a small museum.
If you have time, definitely go inside the daruma museum. It showcases the entire history of the doll and has plenty of examples of darumas through the century. Check out some of the oldest ones above!
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DARUMA STORE (だるまのふるさと大門屋)
After the temple, I recommend visiting the main daruma factory – and best of all, it’s on the way back to the train station! After crossing the bridge and arriving at the intersection, you’ll see a huge while building with darumas next to it. You can also type in 124-2 Fujizukamachi, Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture 370-0875, Japan into Google Maps and it’ll show you the directions. The store is open from 9 AM to 5 PM every day.
When you step inside, you’ll be greeted with — you guessed it! — more darumas. These little angry red dolls fill the entire store from floor to ceiling in every color and size imaginable.
There’s even a daruma making class, where you can customize your own doll — check out the Lions daruma above! I recommend contacting the store for upcoming classes and dates.
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DARUMA AROUND TAKASAKI
If you take a walk around Takasaki, you’re bound to find daruma everywhere. One of the most colorful “darumas” I saw was this daruma-themed garage door (left) near the factory and even a daruma-themed vending machine on the other side.
You’ll also see daruma-themed candies, souvenirs, socks, children’s toys, and even underwear!
Want to read more of my posts about Japan? Click here!
HOW DO I USE A DARUMA?
All of this talk about darumas might have you wondering, how the heck do I actually use a daruma? No worries – it’s simple!
Anyone can use a daruma if they follow a few easy steps.
Step 1 – Select a daruma color for your goal
Did you know that each daruma color has a specific meaning? Here’s a quick breakdown:
Red – Good luck
Yellow & gold – Wealth, money, and a good year for business
Pink – Love, relationships, and a safe delivery (for pregnancies)
Green – Health and beauty
Purple- Also used for health
White – Good academic score and harmony in relationships
Black – Good luck and protection against bad energy
If you’re buying your first daruma, I recommend starting out with red (which is what I did!). It’s the classic color for darumas and is for good luck overall.
Step 2 – Take a marker and color in your daruma’s left eye
While coloring in your daruma’s pupil, think about the goal that you want to achieve. The daruma is only good for up to one year, so make sure that you can reach your goal within this timeframe! It’s also immensely helpful if your goal is measurable so that you concretely know what you want.
Here are some examples to get you brainstorming: Get a 3.80 GPA by the end of the semester / Walk 2,000 miles by the end of the year / Sign up 5 new freelance clients every month / Travel to 3 new countries by December
I like to write my goal on a piece of paper and tape it underneath the daruma so that I don’t forget (it happened once!)
Step 3 – Place the daruma in a spot where you’ll constantly see it
Every time you look at your daruma, you’ll be reminded of your goal – and hopefully, it’ll motivate you to keep working towards it. :)
Step 4 – After a year is over
After a year, take a moment to reflect on your goal. Have you achieved it? Good job! Take a marker and draw in the daruma’s other eye. You can keep this daruma as a symbol of achieving your goal – I like to keep mine on a desk to see how many goals I have achieved. :)
In Japan, people take their daruma to the Hatsuichi Matsuri Daruma Festival in Takasaki at the beginning of the new year and burn them at a bonfire. This might shock you, but it’s for good luck! They say thanks to their daruma for helping them throughout the year, put them in the fire, and buy a new daruma for the upcoming year.
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WHERE TO BUY A DARUMA
I bought my first daruma at the Shorinzan Darumaji Temple and a few for my friends at the daruma store in Takasaki (だるまのふるさと大門屋). If you can’t make the trek to Takasaki, don’t worry – there are plenty of darumas for sale online! This year I bought my daruma from this store, which exports its darumas from the original factory in Takasaki. You can also find them in Japanese stores.
Looking for more posts about Japanese souvenirs?
Click here for my full Japan omiyage haul!
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That’s it for this post! Are you interested in traveling to Takasaki and getting your own daruma? Let me know in the comments below, and see you next time!
This is the first I’ve heard of daruma! What an interesting story! I love that you included a list too of how to use one. This makes me want to head to Japan right now!