Traditional containers for numbered omikuji sticks, used for obtaining a lucky good fortune paper

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Omikuji (sacred lot) are fortunes written on rolled strips of paper. You can find these at shrines and temples throughout Japan. The traditional way of receiving an omikuji is by taking a bamboo container that’s filled with small sticks, and shaking it until the first stick falls out. Each stick is numbered, and a priest or priestess will then select an omikuji that corresponds with the numbered stick that has fallen from your bamboo container. Nowadays, it is more popular to make a small donation (a coin or two) to the shrine or temple, and then randomly draw an omikuji yourself. Omikuji vending machines are also popular, which are a quicker way of dispensing the fortune papers than the more traditional ways. These containers were photographed at Kiyoshikojin Seicho-ji in Takarazuka.

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Size: 3872px × 2592px
Location: Kiyoshikojin Seicho-ji in Takarazuka. Japan
Photo credit: © Stuart Ayton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: -mikuji, culture, custom, fortune, good, heritage, japan, japanese, kiyoshikojin, luck, omikuji, seicho-ji, shrine, sticks, telling, temple, travel