The path to the shrine itself is usually a peaceful portal even if it is the midst of a bustling city.  As you reach the end of the path you likely will pass by a purification fountain where worshippers stop to cleanse themselves before heading the the main hall of the shrine to pray.  (To learn more about the etiquette of visiting a shrine in Japan take a moment to read Purity & Prayer at Japanese Shrines.)

In addition to what one might refer to as a traditional prayer, worshipers often write their prayers on tiny white strips of paper and leave them tied to a sacred tree or to a special structure.  The white paper strips present an accumulation of the wishes of many and is a sight I often stop to ponder for a moment.

Worshipers may also purchase ema (wooden prayer plaques) and write their message on the back before leaving it behind.

The scene pictured on the left is not quite typical and one of those vignettes.  In addition to the colorful ema of Kameido Tenjin, there are also groupings of 1,000 paper cranes hanging in a silent wish that is traditionally made for peace.

I can spend hours wandering about the nooks and crannies of almost any shrine precincts and am rarely disappointed in the view.

This and other great images of Japan can be found in The Nihon Sun Japan Photo Gallery.

Image Credit:  Personal Collection

Upon entering the precincts of a Shinto Shrine you will usually find a purification fountain (similar to the one pictured on the right) off to one side where visitors who wish to pray should stop to cleanse themselves before proceeding further.

At all Shinto shrines, worshippers and casual visitors are asked to purify themselves (Harai) of impurity before praying to the Shinto deities. The act of cleansing is called Misogi, and the actual washing of hands and mouth with water is called Temizu. An associated term is Imi, meaning “abstention from defilement.”

Source: Japanese Buddhist Statuary, Purification by Water

The purification process is simple:

1. Hold the dipper in your right hand and pour water from the fountain onto your left hand.
2. Reverse the procedure to purify your right hand.
3. More the dipper back to your right hand and pour a small amount of water into your left hand and bring the water to your mouth.  Do not drink directly from the dipper or swallow the water, spit it out on the stones at the base of the purification fountain.

Now that you are free from impurities, approach the offering box in the front of the main shrine building, bow to the altar twice, say your prayer, clap your hands together twice, and bow once again before you turn to leave .  If you are so inclined, toss a few Yen into the offering box to show your appreciation.

Lastly, please keep in mind that a shrine is not just a sightseeing destination but a place of worship for many local people and should be treated with the same reverence that you would accord to any place of worship.

Image Credit:  Personal Collection

New Year’s is one of the best times to shop in Japan, and usually only one of the two times each year that retailers offer discounts to their customers (the other is July). Those with materialistic inclinations will be heading to their favorite store to purchase a fukubukuro, a  lucky bag full of mystery goods that are worth significantly more than the price paid for the tightly sealed bag – no peeking allowed!

A limited number of bags are available and they are so popular that lines can start the day before.  From clothing to homes products and electronics, major stores like Uniqlo, Muji Tokyu Hands, and department stores Mitsukoshi and  Takashimaya are just a few that offer fukubukuro to their customers.  Matsuya is said to have started this retail tradition in the late Meiji period (early 1900′s).

“Customarily, all manner of shops from department stores, grocers, electronics retailers to supermarkets, sell lucky bags on their first day of business in the new year.”

Source: The Japan Times, ‘Fukubukuro’ hunters rise early to bag their prey at nation’s shops

Those leaning more towards spiritual pursuits will make the trek out of Tokyo and other major cities back to their home towns for a visit with family and a visit to the local shrine as soon as possible after the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve.  The tradition is called hatsumode and visitors encounter long lines and a test of their patience as the calendar turns at these popular shrines for hatsumode.

“On New Year’s Eve some people leave their houses and wait for the upcoming year to arrive at a temple or shrine. They listen to the local joyanokane bell, which temples ring 108 times to herald the change of year. Once the clock strikes midnight, people throw coins into a box for offerings placed before the altar, pray for a happy and healthy New Year, and then buy good luck charms like omamori amulets and hamaya arrows. Some temples and shrines even provide free festive drinks like sweet rice wine or sacred omiki rice wine.”

Source:  Web-Japan, New Year’s Shrine Visit

Whether your quest is for the spiritual or the material you will find long lines and crowds in the train stations, stores and shrines in Japan as the country celebrates the new year.

Image Credit: 福袋 (Fukubukuro, lucky bags) & Hatsumode crowd

Both religions date back thousands of years. The Shinto religion is a spiritual ideology that began back in the feudal days of Japan and is based on the belief that powerful deities called kami (gods) inhabit both heaven and earth.  Each clan identified with it’s own kami and utilized a shaman or diviner to help them pray and often built shrines dedicated to their chosen kami.  The Shinto religion was unified in the 700′s when the mythology was documented for the first time to include the various kami formerly worshipped by the individual clans. The Japanese refer to Shinto as kami no michi (the way of the gods) but the pronunciation of the Chinese ideographs that for the words is shin tao or Shinto.

Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China and Korea in the sixth century and gained wide acceptance in the following century when it was endorsed by the nobility.  The Japanese word for Buddhism is bukkyō which is a combination of two words: butsu meaning Buddha and kyō meaning doctrine.

Most people in Japan practice both faiths and there are no restrictions against doing so.  Shinto tends to be viewed as the religion of earthly matters and shrines are often used to host weddings and are where one would go to pray for success in life or business.  On the other hand, Buddhism is considered the religion of spiritual matters and temples usually host funerals and are where you would go to pray for your ancestors.

So what are the differences between a shrine and a temple?

Signs that you are at a Shinto Shrine:

• You always enter a Shinto shrine through a torii gate.
• Shinto shrines use the suffix  jingu, as in Meiji Jingu.
• A pair of guardian dogs or lions, called shisa or komainu, often sit on each side of the entrance to a Shinto Shrine
• There is a purification fountain near the entrance to a Shinto shrine where you cleanse your mouth and hands before prayer.

Image of Ikuta Jinja (Shrine) in Kobe, Japan.

Signs that you are at a Buddhist Temple:

• Buddhist temples use the suffix ji in their name.
• A Buddhist temple always houses an image of the Buddha.
• A large incense burner is usually that the front of a temple.  The smoke created by the burning of incense is said to have healing properties.
• There is often a pagoda on the premises of a Buddhist temple.

Image of Byodo-in in Kyoto that can also seen on the Japanese 10 yen coin.

A visit to Japan is not complete without taking in and appreciating the temples and shrines that are scatterd throughout the country.  A small local shrine or a large iconic one mentioned in your guidebook – they are all different and each one is special in it’s own way and worth taking the time to visit.

Image Credit: Flickr, Ikuta Shrine main building & 平等院 Byodo-in