lots o luck

most young tokyoites will tell you they are not religious and very few can offer much info about the frequently visited shrines and yearly rituals or celebrations. however with a coin in their pocket ready to throw into a shrines wishing well like box, most will not hesitate to pray to the 'gods' for luck, fortune and happiness.



omikuji (seen hanging above); a fortune telling slip can be found at most shrines in and out of tokyo. the desire to read ones fortune has become so popular that omikuji vending machines have started to pop up. simply slip your 100 yen into the slot and out slides your fate. many omikuji are now translated into a roughly comprehendible form of english. once you have read and understood your fortune, good or bad its ready to be tied on the closet 'omikuji rack' or tree. while im not really sure of the exact reason for hanging out your fortune, i think it has something to do with setting it free, letting it be, airing it out??? as i said...not too many young tokyoites (certainly none of my friends) can offer much info...