En'nichi, Kingyo-sukui (Goldfish Scooping) and the like...

Ennichi (縁日; lit. "related day") is a day believed to have a special relation (en) with a particular Japanese deity. Often, it is a day when a deity is believed to have been born or left the world. In Shinto, this day is encouraged to be embraced as it is in the "four affirmations" of their religious code. Japanese people generally think that visiting a temple or a shrine on these holy days related to Kami and/or Buddha will bring greater fortunes than on regular days. Therefore, temples and shrines often hold festivals. At such events, there are generally a large number of food stalls selling Japanese food such as takoyaki, okonomiyaki, grilled corn, and candy floss.

Goldfish scooping (金魚すくい, 金魚掬い Kingyo-sukui^?) is a traditional Japanese game in which a player scoops goldfish with a special scooper. "Kingyo" means goldfish and "sukui" means scooping. Sometimes bouncy balls are used instead of goldfish. Japanese summer festivals or ennichi commonly have a stall for this activity. Both children and adults enjoy the game.

This game started in the late Edo period, around 1810.

The National Goldfish Scooping Championship (全国金魚すくい選手権大会^?) is the biggest official competition managed by the National Goldfish Scooping Association and Yamatokōriyama city in Nara Prefecture (Yamatokōriyama is famous for producing goldfish). It is held on the third Saturday and Sunday in August every year.

Each person plays individually. The basic rule is that the player scoops goldfish from a pool with a paper scooper called a "poi" and puts them into a bowl with the poi. This game requires care and speed as the poi can tear easily. The game is over when the poi is completely broken or incapable of scooping properly. Even if one part of the poi is torn, the player can continue the game with the remaining part.

At ennichi or summer festival stalls, the game is not a competition. Participation typically costs around 100 yen and players can take the scooped goldfish home in a special bag provided by the stall keeper.

Various scooping game variants are found, including turtle scooping (亀掬い、かめすくい kame-sukui^?), jelly scooping (ぷよぷよすくい puyopuyo-sukui^?), which features small jelly-like rubber balls, super ball scooping (スーパーボールすくい sūpābōru-sukui^?), which features bouncy balls, and character scooping (キャラクターすくい kyarakutā-sukui^?), which features small plastic figurines in the shapes of various cartoon characters, particularly manga and anime.