Omikuji

   Let's talk about fortunes! At Japanese temples and shrines, there are little boxes, like so: 

   Inside are sticks with numbers written on the end. To get one's fortune, you shake the box and then hold the box until a stick comes out from the hole. You read the number and grab a piece of paper with that number on it (some temples even have vending machines which do this). This whole process and the paper you get are omikuji. On each paper (which is different depending on the number), there is a certain degree of blessing: all the way from amazing blessing to horrible curse. The two times that I've done it, I've never gotten a curse. In Kyoto, I did a koimikuji (love omikuji). I got a "future blessing" for that. I won't tell you the whole thing, but for me, the "key to good luck" is reading...so I think I'm fine for now. The second time I did the omikuji was in Tokyo at that Asakusa Temple. I got "Regular fortune." Luckily they had a translation, though the English is a bit "OK." Here is what my fortune reads: "All your request and desire will get through and go change to the better: The double letters of 'mountain' means to got out, and you can do everything in a hurry and be in safe. Naturally your is so fortune, and you can meet with so many a happiness. Everything, treasure wealth and income will be in your hand without any trouble." Then for specific areas of my life: 

• "Your request will be granted"
• "The patient will get well soon"
• "The lost article will be found"
• "The person you wait for will come but late"
• "Building a new house or removal are both good"
• "To start a trip is good"
• "Marriage and new employment are both well"

Obviously, I do not believe in these fortunes. However, they are very interesting and it's interesting because they are obviously written very vaguely. Specifically enough that not everything matches up with one person...but vague enough that people can feel that there is a conversation going on about the future.