Posted November 20, 2019 by Jonelle Patrick2 Comments Cute to the nth

The Shrine Maiden Vending Machine

Are ya feelin’ lucky? Because this vending machine dispenses fortunes, just like the ones you can buy at Japanese shrines! But that’s not all – it’s delivered by a little animatronic shrine maiden, who fetches if from the inner precincts and deposits it in the offering box for your future-divining pleasure.

Color-changing lights flash and traditional music plays as your coins drop home, then the shrine doors open and this little beauty whirls around to head inside for your fortune. When she comes back out, she tips her tray into the box at the front, and your future tumbles down to the opening below

However, if you get one as snarkily unlucky as mine…

…you might want to tie it onto the handy vending machine rope and leave it behind!

If you’d like to visit the shrine maiden vending machine the next time you’re in Tokyo, there’s a map on the curated Yanaka walking tour on my other blog, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

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The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon

For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, altering the lives of all who possess it…*read more*

“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Jonelle Patrick View All

Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!