Cultural · Religion

I would like to offer my prayers here, if I may.

May this year also be a wonderful year.

Please let me join you in a moment of prayer.

Should I bow before passing through the gate here?

For shrine prayer, it's good to bow twice, clap twice, then bow once more.

Omiya-mairi is an important celebration — a shrine visit made about one month after a baby is born.

During Obon, people visit the family grave and offer prayers with palms pressed together to honor their ancestors.

The standard procedure is to place an offering in the box, then bow twice, clap twice, and bow once.

It is said that wafting this incense smoke over your body brings blessings.

I went to the New Year shrine visit. I prayed that this year will be a good one for everyone.

Is this a shrine or a temple? There's a torii gate, so it must be a shrine?

Excuse me, could I get one protective charm for my family's safety? Which one would you recommend?

I offer my heartfelt condolences for your loss.

Is it alright to bow before the torii gate? Are there specific rules I should follow?

How much should I put in the offering box? Is there any particular rule about the amount?

Is the correct procedure two bows, two claps, then one bow?

I am so sorry for your loss. Please accept my heartfelt condolences.

For a shrine visit, the proper sequence is two bows, two claps, then one final bow.

This is an omamori charm, received at a shrine. It carries a prayer for traffic safety.

Excuse me, could you teach me how to worship at this shrine?

Thank you for inviting me today. May I offer some incense?

What kind of benefit does this omamori provide?

How should I write my wish on the ema plaque?

About how much should I put in the offering box?

This year is my yakudoshi (unlucky year). Should I go for a purification ritual?

How does the way of worshipping at temples differ from at shrines?

Today being an auspicious day, we have come to formally pay our respects for the engagement ceremony.

Truly congratulations today. Wishing you lasting happiness.

At the nijiri-guchi, you enter by stooping low and shuffling forward on your knees.

Want to draw an omikuji? If you get a good one, you can take it home.

At a wake (otsuya), it is customary to bring the condolence money wrapped in a fukusa cloth.

Before drinking matcha, turn the tea bowl about two times clockwise.

For hatsumoude, the order is two bows, two claps, one bow. Drop the offering in before ringing the bell.

After making an offering at the household shrine, pray with two bows, two claps, one bow.

I am deeply sorry for your loss. My sincerest condolences.

The cucumber horse and eggplant cow each carry meaning.

On the first Day of the Horse, we offer food to Inari shrines and pray for business prosperity.

On the household Shinto altar, we offer water, rice, salt, and sakaki branches.

On the New Year's Seven Lucky Gods pilgrimage, you visit seven shrines and temples in a single day to gather fortune.

Completing all 88 temples is called 'kechigan', considered a major milestone in one's life.

Shugendo is a uniquely Japanese mountain religion that fuses mountain worship with Buddhism.

For the first shrine visit of the year, you offer coins, ring the bell, then bow twice, clap twice, bow once.