ABOUT 5,000 people made a chaotic dash through a Japan’s shrine on Thursday (Jan 10) in a bid to win the title of the “luckiest man of the new year”.
At 6 am local time (2100 GMT Wednesday), drum beats kicked off the annual “Lucky Man Run” at Nishinomiya Shrine in western Japan, where the crowds ran 230 metres (754 feet) towards the main hall of the shrine.
Twenty-two-year-old Yuki Yamamoto, a fireman in Hiroshima, told media that he is very happy to have been crowned as the luckiest man of the year.
Nishinomiya Shrine is dedicated to the god of businessmen and merchants. According to the shrine officials, locals raced to become the first person to offer prayers on this day since 14th century as they believe it will bring luck for the rest of the year. It eventually turned into an annual racing event.
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