To draw an omikuji fortune, pray at the main hall first, then make a small coin offering at the omikuji stand. At Senso-ji in Asakusa you shake a box until a numbered stick slides out, and take your slip from the drawer with that number. Read it, keep it if it is good, and tie it at the rack provided if it is bad.

Stand in front of Senso-ji’s main hall and you will hear it before you see it: a steady rattle of metal boxes being shaken, then a pause, then a laugh or a groan. People crowd around rows of small wooden drawers, comparing numbers and squinting at their slips. A few steps away, wires are thick with white paper knots. That is omikuji, and anyone can join in.

① What is omikuji? Advice in a paper slip

【A thousand years of drawing lots】 Omikuji are fortune slips offered at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. The best-known set, a series of 100 short verses, is traditionally credited to Ryogen (912-985), a Tendai monk also known as Ganzan Daishi, and is often called the Kannon Hyakusen, the “100 lots of Kannon”. Historians link the method to older Chinese divination with bamboo sticks in a tube. Shrines later developed their own slips, after the Meiji government separated Shinto and Buddhism in 1868.

【Not a prediction, a message】 Sources agree on one point: the advice written on the slip matters more than the rank. Think of it as a short message for the months ahead, not a fixed future.

② How to draw: five steps at Senso-ji

Methods differ from place to place. Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple, uses the classic stick-and-drawer system, and it works on trust.

1. Pray first. Visit the main hall and pay your respects before drawing. Many guides suggest this so you receive the message with a calm mind.

2. Make the offering. Drop your coin into the box at the stand yourself. The amount is posted there; check the sign and carry small coins.

3. Shake the box. Pick up the metal canister, shake it gently a few times, then tip it upside down. A thin stick with a number on it slides out of a small hole.

4. Find your drawer. The number is usually written in kanji. Match the characters on your stick with those on the drawer fronts, then return the stick to the canister.

5. Take one slip. Open the drawer and take the top slip only. Visitors report that Senso-ji slips carry an English translation on the back.

【At a shrine】 Shrines often use their own slips and their own way of handing them out, so the steps may look different from Senso-ji. Follow the sign at each place, or ask at the shrine office.

③ Reading your slip: from daikichi to kyo

Look for the large character near the top. Ranks vary by place, but this is the common order:

• Daikichi — Japanese: 大吉／Meaning: Great blessing

• Chukichi — Japanese: 中吉／Meaning: Middle blessing

• Shokichi — Japanese: 小吉／Meaning: Small blessing

• Kichi — Japanese: 吉／Meaning: Blessing (its place in the order varies)

• Suekichi — Japanese: 末吉／Meaning: Blessing to come later

• Kyo — Japanese: 凶／Meaning: Bad luck, a warning

• Daikyo — Japanese: 大凶／Meaning: Great bad luck

【The small print】 Below the rank are short lines on different parts of life. Common headings include your wish (negaigoto), the person you are waiting for (machibito), lost items, travel, health, study and love. Read these slowly; this is where the real advice is.

【Why Senso-ji feels harsh】 Senso-ji has a reputation for bad fortunes. Guides say it keeps the traditional Kannon Hyakusen proportions, in which roughly three in ten slips are reportedly bad, while many other places use gentler sets. The temple has not published a count of its slips, so treat the figure as a popular explanation, not a statistic.

④ Got a bad one? Tie it, don’t redraw

【Leave the bad luck behind】 Fold the slip into a thin strip and tie it to the rack or wires set up for this. One popular explanation is a pun: matsu means both “pine tree”, where slips were once tied, and “to wait”, so the bad luck waits there instead of following you.

【Use the right place】 Tie it only where the temple or shrine asks you to. Tying slips to trees can damage them, which is why many places now provide racks instead.

【Don’t draw again straight away】 An omikuji is treated as advice, and redrawing to escape it is seen as ignoring that advice. Senso-ji’s own teaching, as guides describe it, is that what you do next can change your luck. Read the warning, then try again another day if you like.

⑤ Got a good one? Keep it close

• Carry it. Many people fold a good fortune into a wallet or bag as a small charm.

• Or leave it. Tying a good fortune at the rack is also acceptable.

• Return it later. When you are finished with a slip, bring it back to a temple or shrine rather than putting it in the trash.

⑥ Small manners that make a big difference

• Draw once. One slip per visit is the custom.

• Close the drawer and put the stick back in the canister for the next person.

• Step aside to read. The stands get crowded, especially on weekends and at New Year.

• Check the hours. Omikuji stands and shrine offices keep their own hours, and some close in the evening. If you plan to draw late, check the official site of the temple or shrine first.

Explore it with a local

Omikuji is more fun with someone who can read the small print with you. Our Asakusa night photo walk (coming soon) includes a stop at lit-up Senso-ji, where your guide shows you how to draw a fortune, while the Shinjuku secret shrine tour takes you to Hanazono Shrine with a Ninja guide.

FAQ

How much does an omikuji cost?

Most temples and shrines ask for a small coin offering, usually a coin or two. Prices differ by place and can change, so check the sign next to the omikuji stand and carry small change, as cards are generally not accepted.

Can I draw again if I get a bad fortune?

Tradition advises against it. An omikuji is treated as advice from the deity, so drawing again to escape a bad result is seen as ignoring that advice. If you want another try, draw on a different day or at a different place.

What should I do with a bad omikuji?

Fold it and tie it at the rack or wires the temple or shrine provides for this, so the bad luck stays behind. Do not tie it to trees or fences unless that is clearly the designated spot.

Can I keep my omikuji?

Yes. Many people take a good fortune home and carry it in a wallet or bag, and you may keep a bad one too if its advice speaks to you. When you are done with it, return it to a temple or shrine rather than throwing it away.

Are Senso-ji omikuji in English?

Visitors report that the slips at Senso-ji carry an English translation, along with other languages, on the back. Other places vary, and some only have Japanese slips.