by Hi my lovely readers!
I already posted some pictures of my fortune telling experience in Japan last month as a form of entertainment for you guys in my post When Traditions Get Lost In Translation. I hope you were amused by the fortune I got. If you did not see them back then, not to worry as I will share the pics again as part of this post.
I was always intrigued by all the different Japanese traditions and one of the most famous and well known one must be Omikuji, a form of fortune telling at shrines and temples.
This form of fortune telling is super easy and can be done by anyone. No fortune teller in the form of a human being involved, only a box with sticks.
So, how does it work and what do you have to do to obtain your fortune?
You go to a temple or shrine and look for a small little box, like the one you can see in the picture. Shake the box a few times while you are making your wish.
A stick with a number will fall out from the box. Check what number you have and go to the wall where all the fortunes are kept and look for your number to get your fortune on a piece of paper.
In my case this was in Japanese so it took me a few minutes to find my number as I had to look for the sign and to me they all look the same.
Get your fortune, read it and be happy or in my case sad about it. I mean look at my fortune!
If you have received some bad fortune and your future looks very sad, bleak and miserable, do not worry as all is not lost.
You can always let go of your bad fortune by tying it on a pole or tree. That helps to let it pass and pave the way for some better fortune and future.
Remember, you always create your own fortune.
The smaller shrines and temples might not have English translations. Therefore, it might be hard to translate your fortune on the spot if you do not speak Japanese. However, bigger shrines and temples such as Sensouji Temple in Tokyo have English translations.
Related Post: 3 Things You Need To Know Before Going To Japan
Below you can see the step by step guide on how to draw your fortune from Sensouji Temple, where I got mine from. Of course, do not forget to pay for your fortune. It was not expensive at all.
I particularly like the part accepting your good and bad fortune. But I like the part even more about being modest and gentle. We should always be humble and grateful and just be nice and polite to each other.
I think it is important to treat people how you want to be treated yourself. Japanese people and Asians in general are the most friendly and polite people I have ever met. And that is noted in the instructions of the Omikuji.
Have you got any experience with Japanese traditions or fortune telling in general? I would love to know!
