New Year Wishes

For the new year we went to our neighborhood shrine, as is tradition. 2018 is the year of the dog, so we took Toby with us! Several people brought their dogs out and took them up to the shrine with them to ring the bells. We had sake and amazake, and bought a little trinket that we never had before called omamori. They are sold at shrines and temples at the new year and come in many styles with many different purposes. The most common style is a cloth envelope secured with rope that has an invocation written on a piece of paper inside. These are kept throughout the year and used as an amulet to either protect the person or give them luck in something. Normally, they are for specific aspects of life; for instance you can get one to help you start a new career, or to excel on academic tests, to protect you or a loved one while traveling in a car, or to increase your luck in conceiving a child that year.

Some of them are generic amulets that are not for any specific purpose, but that you can attach your own wish to. Omamori are usually attached and worn on backpacks, belts, purses, cell phones, bikes, car mirrors, basically anywhere that can help the amulet do its magick. The more torn and weathered the omamori gets, the better it's working as it's seen that the amulet is taking life's beatings for you instead of you bearing the bad luck. When the next new year comes, you take your used omamori back to the shrine or temple you bought it from, return it, and buy a new one. The new one will offer fresh protection for the new year, and the old ones are burned by the elders of the sacred area they are returned to.

We got a generic omamori at our shrine. I actually didn't know that you are to never open them - if you loosen the rope and open the pouch, the power inside will escape. Well, I had no idea and was curious, so when we got home, I immediately opened it. Woops! haha Since it's a generic one, the only thing inside was a piece of paper that said (in Kanji) "Morisaki Shrine Charm." The Kanji on the outside of the pouch shown above says "omamori." We would like to keep ours instead of taking it back to the shrine next year. It will be a great reminder of our lovely Japanese neighborhood!