At most shrines and temples in Japan, you can pay a small fee to find out what is predicted for you. I saw fortune-papers at both Shinto and Buddhist places of worship - so I am guessing it is universal.
A fortune sheet might cover luck in health, career, housing, love and other things people hope for.
How it works:
I took my fortune at Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. Here, you shake a tombola-type thing and select one stick from it. The stick has a number corresponding to the drawer holding your fortune. The fortune itself is written on a thin piece of paper. My friend Haruko's was quite promising; mine wasn't!
If you like the fortune, you take it home with you. If you hope it will change, you tie your fortune-paper to a special tree or structure at the temple. That is what all of those little white paper tags are.
I took my bad one home as a tourist souvenir - which I rather hope doesn't mean it will all come true!
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| Fortune 'tombola' & drawers at Asakusa, Tokyo |
