About Omikuji

One of the most popular shrine-going activities is omikuji. 

Omikuji are fortune-telling slips, and they cost around a dollar, one hundred yen. Below, a woman at Shiroyama Hachimangu shrine ties her fortune to a special building. Unlucky fortunes are tied up at buildings or special trees around shrines in order to get rid of the bad luck. 

Fortunes will talk about finance, love, lost items, travel... And then your luck in the different categories is ranked. 

First you find the omikuji area. 

Before you start, drop your hundred yen coin in the appropriate slot. More touristy locations might even have omikuji machines, but most smaller sites have this old fashioned method. Shake the boxes. At this temple, the boxes are black and filled with sticks. Then pull a stick out.

So, my number is 26. Every stick in the box has a different number. After you've got your number, find your drawer. Some shrines and temples have offices where you turn your stick in and someone will hand you your omikuji. 

Now I have my fortune, #26. My fortune is very meh, so I have decided to leave it at the temple. 

Even though visitors comes to shrines and temples as tourists, they playfully believe in omikuji. I have asked friends and strangers about their feelings on omikuji, and mostly they take a 'better safe than sorry attitude.' Which I find interesting, another interaction with a religious culture.