Omikuji are slips of paper on which fortunes are written. Like a lottery, they are picked at random. In recent years many shrines and temples sell omikuji in cute 'holders', many in the shape of familiars and objects linked to the location.

Once read omikuji, whether good are bad, are left at the location in the hope that the gods either remove bad fortune or grant good fortune. Often people will also leave the fortune 'holders'. Here a herd of boars surrounds an out of place pigeon (clearly purchased at another shrine).

A common sight a shrines are racks of omikuji, left tied by the faithful having been read.

Hogarth the cat poses with an omikuji holder in the shape of the 'Yatagarasu', a mythological 3-legged bird.

🐇🐒🐉FAMILIARS AND FORTUNES🐂🦊🐁

Visitors to shrines and temples for a long time have enjoyed having their fortunes determined by lucky dip, but in recent years Kyōto's familiars have helped kickstart a new craze for collecting 'omikuji' (御御籤 'sacred lots').

#omikuji #sacredlots #Japan #おみくじ #御御籤