Futakashira Shrine

 Yesterday, January 2nd, we had to go shopping so my wife and I decided that this would be a good time to stop at the local shrine. We had a few things from last year, Shinto objects that we had acquired in visits to various shrines, and these are supposed to be burned at special ceremonies at a shrine. The idea is that the objects soak up all the badness and this is then burned along with the object. When you enter the shrine precincts, the first thing you do is wash your hands and rinse out your mouth. As you can see, in spite of the fact that it was still a little before noon, there was a line.

 We stood in another line in front of the main shrine building. The procedure here is to first mount the steps. You can see a man in a grayish coat on the right already there. Once on the top, you put a donation in the large box that is provided for this. These gifts to the gods are usually small, 10, 50, and 100 yen are most common, although once in a while someone will put in a large amount. After giving the gift, you grasp a long rope that is hanging down and use it to ring a bell. This alerts the gods that you are there. Then you bow twice, clap your hands twice, stand quietly for a moment during which some people make a wish, than bow again and move off to the right.

On the right there is a small tent with a counter where you are given a small dish into which a shrine maiden pours a little Japanese sake, rice wine which you drink, keeping the dish as a good luck charm.

 The next place on the right is a store where they sell good luck charms and objects to place in home shrines. We do not have one so we did not buy anything.

 We crossed over to the left of the main shrine where there was a fire that had been burning since New Year's Eve. It is a good place to stand and get warm. The objects that were to be burned were placed in a big pile behind this small building.

 We then moved toward what looked like a tree in full bloom and a large open-sided tent.

 Inside the tent we bought our fortune for the coming year. After you pay 200 yen, you shake a box with a small hole in the top. A stick with a number on it comes out and the shrine maiden gives you a printed sheet (above) with your fortune on it. Mine was okay not great and not bad.

 After reading your fortune, you fold it up and tie it to bamboo branches that are standing there. This is what looked like the blooming tree. You leave it there so that it will come true, if good, or be modified, if bad.

As we left the shrine precincts, I looked back along the long line that was developing and though about what it must have been like on New Year's itself, and was glad we waited.