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Omikuji in Japan: how fortune slips work at temples and shrines
While visiting temples and shrines in Japan, you may notice small paper slips tied to racks, trees, or strings. These are omikuji (おみくじ), traditional Japanese fortune slips that anyone can draw.
They are simple, symbolic, and deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Here is how omikuji work, what the results mean, and how to use them properly.
What is omikuji?
Omikuji are written fortunes available at most Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples across Japan.
The word omikuji (御神籤) literally means “sacred lottery.”
Each slip offers guidance rather than a fixed prediction. It usually includes:
An overall fortune ranking
Predictions related to love, health, travel, work, studies, or finances
Advice, warnings, or reflections
Omikuji are not meant to decide your future. They are considered spiritual guidance to reflect on your current path.
Omikuji fortune rankings explained
Most omikuji follow a ranking system from very good to very bad luck:
大吉 (Daikichi) – Great blessing or excellent luck
中吉 (Chūkichi) – Good luck
小吉 (Shōkichi) – Small luck
吉 (Kichi) – General luck
半吉 (Hankichi) – Half luck
末吉 (Suekichi) – Future luck, uncertain for now
凶 (Kyō) – Bad luck
大凶 (Daikyō) – Very bad luck (rare)
Receiving bad luck does not mean something negative will happen. It is often interpreted as a warning or an invitation to be cautious.
How to draw an omikuji step by step
Go to a temple or shrine offering omikuji
Make a small offering, usually between 100 and 300 yen
Draw your fortune
Either by shaking a box until a numbered stick comes out
Or by using a vending-style drawer
Read the fortune carefully
Decide what to do with it
Should you keep or tie your omikuji?
Good fortune: keep it in your wallet, notebook, or travel journal
Bad fortune: tie it to a designated rack or tree at the shrine
Tying the omikuji symbolically leaves the bad luck behind while keeping the lesson.
Popular places to draw omikuji in Japan
You can find omikuji almost everywhere, but some places are especially known for them:
Senso-ji (Tokyo)
Famous for frequent bad luck slips and a strong traditional atmosphereMeiji Shrine (Tokyo)
Offers poetic omikuji focused on reflection rather than rankingsFushimi Inari Taisha (Kyoto)
Classic omikuji experience alongside thousands of torii gatesKiyomizu-dera (Kyoto)
Known for love-related omikujiOsaka Tenmangu (Osaka)
Popular with students praying for academic success
Why omikuji matter
Omikuji are not about superstition. They are about pause and awareness.
They encourage reflection, humility, and acceptance of uncertainty.
Whether you draw great luck or bad luck, the meaning lies in how you interpret and respond to it.
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Marie creator behind @Tabimawari
Hi, I’m Marie, the creator behind @tabimawari.
I lived in Kyoto, learned Japanese, and keep returning to explore Japan beyond the obvious.
Planning a trip to Japan usually breaks at the same point: you save a lot of places, but don’t know how to turn them into a realistic route. Cities are large, distances are not intuitive, and it’s hard to know what actually fits in one day.
This guide was created to solve that. It helps you understand how places connect, how many days make sense per area, and how to build an itinerary that flows.
With the interactive map, you can explore curated spots across Japan, follow ready-made itineraries and day trips, mix my routes with your own, and adapt everything to your pace.
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Marie creator behind @Tabimawari
Hi, I’m Marie.
French islander from Reunion island, Japan lover, and travel planner behind Tabimawari.
I spent a year living in Kyoto, learning Japanese and falling in love with the culture. Since then, I’ve kept going back, exploring every corner from Tokyo to the tiniest hidden towns.
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