Crowds throng Japanese shrines to pray for good fortune on first business day of 2023

Many Japanese traditionally visit a shrine or temple on the first few days of the New Year in a popular practice widely believed to bring good fortune for the rest of the year.

TOKYO, Jan 05 (CNA) - Japanese employees returned to work on Wednesday (Jan 4) after celebrating the first three days of 2023 by travelling and having family gatherings, as eased restrictions allowed a gradual return to normalcy following two years of muted celebrations.

As offices reopened, many employees visited shrines and temples in droves across the country to pray for economic success and a prosperous year ahead.

At the 1,300-year-old Kanda Myojin shrine in Chiyoda, where three major gods, including two deities of fortune and wealth, are enshrined, thousands of worshippers waited patiently in long lines to offer their prayers, bow and toss coins.

Many Japanese traditionally visit a shrine or temple on the first few days of the New Year in a popular practice widely believed to bring good fortune for the rest of the year. ...continue reading

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