The One Word Saint
As the old year draws to a close (and we say good riddance to all that was disappointing and discouraging), and a new year is about to begin (along with … Continue Reading The One Word Saint
The Lost Cat Shrine
Don’t you just hate it when your kittehs get a touch of the walkabout? Well now you can do something about it. A quick prayer at the Tachikawa Suitengu Shrine … Continue Reading The Lost Cat Shrine
The Dish-Breaking Shrine
This spring, the ever-impish kami-sama apparently thought I was in need of some sort of life lesson. Because every time I set out with a well-planned, perfectly-timed plan, it was like … Continue Reading The Dish-Breaking Shrine
25 Obscure & Amazing Things To Do In Tokyo
-1- Make a wish that you could draw as well as the other visitors at the anime & manga shrine Where: Kanda Myoujin Shrine (Kanda) • -2- Get your warts disappeared by the … Continue Reading 25 Obscure & Amazing Things To Do In Tokyo
The Werewolf Shrine
High on top of a snowy mountain in Chichibu – so far from any train station that you’ll be eligible for a senior citizen discount by the time you get … Continue Reading The Werewolf Shrine
The Fox Shrine To End All Fox Shrines
I knew I was going to love the Sasuke Inari Shrine from the moment I saw the long tunnel of red lacquer torii gates leading into the deep, dark woods. … Continue Reading The Fox Shrine To End All Fox Shrines
Get Your Wallet Blessed By Fire & Drums
There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned fire ceremony to get your year off to a blazing start! Flaming prayer sticks, drums being pounded by ultra-buff young priests, the chance to get … Continue Reading Get Your Wallet Blessed By Fire & Drums
The Dog Blessing Shrine
Japan isn’t short on shrines that cure warts, protect your electronics from the forces of eviltude, and jumpstart your career as a manga artist, but this is the first one I’ve heard of that … Continue Reading The Dog Blessing Shrine
The Wart Shrine
Warts. Just hearing their name makes you want to get rid of them faster than pronto. And what easier way, than to visit the Wart-Be-Gone Jizo at Nishiarai Daishi temple? Just toss … Continue Reading The Wart Shrine
Furry Elephants. With Claws.
Do you think the artist who carved these beasties had ever actually seen one? I guess it doesn’t matter, as long as the guy who paid the bill hadn’t either. These elephants … Continue Reading Furry Elephants. With Claws.
Virus Protection Of The Gods
You can valiantly beat many a deadline with a cold, flu, hangover, and worse, but if your computer catches a virus or your phone bricks, you’re dead meat. Every Japanese shrine sells o-mamori charms to … Continue Reading Virus Protection Of The Gods
The Scrub Brush Shrine
So, I’m trudging back to the bus stop after catching Sankei-en having the Japanese garden equivalent of a bad hair day,* when I spot this odd little shrine tucked between two houses. The altar … Continue Reading The Scrub Brush Shrine
Firewalking 101
I’m not sure who first thought that walking across burning coals would be an awesome superpower to have, but sometime in the distant past, that’s exactly what a bunch of … Continue Reading Firewalking 101
The Anime Shrine
If you live, breathe, and want to work in anime, the Kanda Myōjin shrine is the place to pray that your dreams come true. But you’d better bring your markers … Continue Reading The Anime Shrine
The Lucky Cat Temple
In a corner of Gotokuji Temple, I discovered a Kannon figure totally surrounded by maneki neko lucky cats! Their raised paws are believed to beckon money and good luck into the … Continue Reading The Lucky Cat Temple
At The Ise Shrine, Everything New Is Old
The god of rice’s building at the Ise Shrine sits next to a vacant lot. Or, actually, a construction site. Because every twenty years, a replica of the rice god’s … Continue Reading At The Ise Shrine, Everything New Is Old
St. Nyancat Of Matchmaking
If you want to find the gf/bf of your dreams, this is the place to do it! The gods of the Imado Shrine in Asakusa are apparently better at forking … Continue Reading St. Nyancat Of Matchmaking
Auto-Incinerate, For All Your Sacred Garbage Needs
Now you no longer have to do the heavy lifting when it comes to heaving that sacred garbage into the shrine’s designated bin! Here at the Narita Fudo-san Shrine, this … Continue Reading Auto-Incinerate, For All Your Sacred Garbage Needs
Three Things They Never Tell You About The 47 Rōnin
In case you don’t live in Japan or were raised by wolves in rural Aomori, the story of the 47 rōnin goes like this: After being insulted in the castle of the … Continue Reading Three Things They Never Tell You About The 47 Rōnin
