So you want to visit a shrine or temple in Japan. Well it would help to first understand the difference between the two.
What is a Shrine?
Shrine = jinja = じんじゃ= 神社
A Shrine is for Shintoism, a religion that originated in Japan. A shrine can normally be identified by the red torii gates, which serve as barriers to keep out bad or harmful demons/spirits. There is also water purification within the gate barrier when you should use to cleanse yourself. Sometimes there will be animal statues, fox, lion, dog, etc., used to protect and serve the god of the shrines. Often weddings are held at shrines.
What is a temple?
temple = tera = てら = 寺
A Temple is for Buddhism, a religion founded in India by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). A temple also has gates but within the grounds temples have more complicated and ornate buildings. Within the temple grounds there will be a place to burn incense, it is believed that the smoke is healing. sometimes you may find water purification at temples as well. Another clear sign that it is a temple is if you see a graveyard on the grounds. Funerals are often held at temples.
How to water purify yourself.
It isn't all the difficult to be honest.
Chozu (cleansing yourself) is the customary way to clean or purify yourself before making any prayers at shrines or temples in Japan.
The Chozuya is the large basin with special wooden dippers that is usually located at the entrance of shrines and temples. It is customary for visitors to purify themselves first.
Take the wodden dipper in your right hand and scoop up some water. It has to be your right hand! The order is very important
Wash your left hand.
Change the dipper to your left hand, and wash your right hand. Make sure to not touch your purified left hand with your right hand as it is not purified yet. Now scoop up some water and slowly poor it over your right hand.
Change the dipper into your right hand again, and rinse your mouth with your left hand. Fill up the dipper again if necessary. Be careful not to touch the dipper with your lips. First pour the water into your left hand, and then rinse your mouth. Spit it out on the rocks below. Be careful not to spit it in the basin!
Wash the handle of the dipper. It is important that you leave a clean dipper for the next person.
Put the dipper back on the basin, scoop side down.
How to pray at a Shrine
When visiting shinto shrines to pray, there is a fixed manner called
Ni-rei ni-hakusyu ichi-rei(二礼二拍手一礼/Two bows, two claps, one bow).
The main shrine building (honden) is the place where the gods reside. When you enter the grounds, please stand in front of this structure. When you look up at the structure, there should be a large bell suspended. Grab the bundle of suspended cords hanging down from the bell, and give it a big shake. The bell will chime quite loudly, so be prepared.
Throw a coin into the offertory-box => Throw your coin in at the front of shrine. Just gently underhand toss it in it's not a baseball. In Japan, money that is offered to the gods is referred to as "saisen". Many people offer 5 yen coins, which is a very small amount, but not because they want to save money. The Japanese pronunciation for '5 yen' is identical to 'goen' which means "good luck" or "good connections", so this wordplay is used to convey a wish for good fortune. (The more you throw in does not change whether or not your wish will come true.)
Bow twice
Clap twice => Clap twice at the height of your chest. When you have finished clapping, join your hands in prayer position by straightening your fingers and placing your hands together. This position is called "gasho" in Japanese. Then make a wish and pray.
Bow once more => Have a heart full of gratitude. Of course, you don't need to be too formal, it's what's in your heart that matters. Showing gratitude towards God is all you need to do after all.
How to pray at a Temple
There are many things to see at temples, such as this artistic Buddhist statue of Jizo (地蔵). Just viewing these things is enough to pay a visit.
Bow at the Sanmon => They come in many different shapes, but this is an example of a sanmon at the entrance of a temple. Temples were originally built on mountains. That's how their entrances came to be called sanmon, or "mountain gates".
Cleanse Your Body at the Chozuya => If there is a chozuya, or a space where you can wash your hands, do so here. Don't worry if you can't find one; there are plenty of temples that don't have one. Bow here as a greeting. You should bow at at least a 45-degree angle.
Make an Offer, in Front of the Main Building => Make a money offering, also called saisen in the box placed in front of the main temple hall. The amount of money you put in is up to you. Depending on the temple, you can also ring a bell called bonshuu or light incense. These usually cost extra. If you want to ring the bell or burn incense, do this before offering saisen money.
Before the Front of the Main Temple Hall => Press your palms together without linking your fingers and bow the upper half of your body. Normally, you don't have to chant when praying. The words you chant vary depending on Buddhist sects. If you'd like to know the correct words to chant at a temple, try asking its priest. The most important thing to note is that you don't clap your hands at a temple. This is perhaps the biggest difference between praying at a shrine and praying at a temple. When you've finished praying, give one more bow and exit the main area.
Finally, Give One Last Bow at the Sanmon
The extras:
omikuji
The Japanese love to draw a omikuji (fortune telling slips) at a shrine or a temple, to see how their luck will turn out.Don't worry if the result isn't good. It only costs 100 to 200 yen, so just draw them and have fun.
"Daikichi" (大吉)＞"chukichi" (中吉)＞"shokichi" (小吉)＞"kyo" (凶)＞"daikyo" (大凶) are, from order to best to worst, the degrees of luck you may get from omikuji. However, this is just for reference. Japanese people don't generally pay much attention to them, especially if they get a bad result. They even have a special way of dealing with fortunes they don't like. Shrines generally have places, known as "musubidokoro", where you can tie up your omikuji and leave it behind. Traditionally, if you end up with a less than desirable fortune, you can tie it up and reverse it into good fortune.
It has become customary to visit a shrine and have your fortune told on New Year's Day in Japan. Apart from New Year's Day however, you are free to draw omikuji any time you are at a shrine.
The Eto Goods at the Shrine
In Japan, similar to the constellations assigned to each month of the year, a specific animal from a group of 12, called eto, is assigned every year.
That is why the Japanese say things like "the year of the rabbit."
An omamori (charm or amulet) with a design of that year's animal is sold at shrines. If the animal of the year you were born is being sold, that might make a nice souvenir of your trip.
Omamori
An omamori (charm/amulet) is an item to ensure good fortune, sold at shrines and temples. Each omamori has its own power, such as keeping the owner safe, or inviting good fortune - it depends on which type you select.
Avoid disaster or grant protection, there are a wide variety of divine charms called 'omamori' sold at various temples and shrines all across Japan. The handling of such a token--a symbol of a god’s divine power--must be done with special attention.
The effects of charms change depending on the heart of the owner. It’s said that multiple charms, no matter where you put them, will not sway a god’s influence one way or the other. Virtuous gods won’t cancel out each other’s charms if they’re put together. Similarly, there’s no problem with Shinto charms being used with charms from other religions.
However, it is possible that a Buddhist charm may not work near a Shinto charm, so you will need to ask if it’s okay to keep it with a Shinto charm at the temple grounds when you buy it.
Buying a charm is a good thing, so disposing of one shouldn’t be something bad or a hassle. When it’s time to dispose of a charm (usually one year after purchase or if it breaks), then you can take it to a shrine and ask them to dispose of it for free. In Sensoji there's a collection point with 'Accepting expired charms' written in Japanese (古札お納め所).
Shrines will stay like this year-round to accept all good-luck items. For those living abroad, you can always try mailing the charms to the temples.
However, there is one thing you need to be careful of. The charm you bought from the god must be returned to that god; you need to take your charm to the same shrine you bought it from. Think of the charm as a part of that god. We must accept and return it with gratitude.
Charms, which are made to be carried around, are small brocade bags with materials such as wood, cloth, metal, paper, and the like inside (usually with sutras, a prayer, or left blank). A string is threaded through the mouth of a bag and it is sold in a closed state.
Of course, looking at the shape and size of a charm will spark curiosity as to what’s hidden inside. However, looking at what’s within and verifying the charm is seen as “an act of an unbeliever” - meaning that the charm will no longer work, or may even cause bad luck instead. By believing in what your eyes cannot see, your faith is deepened.
Ema
An ema used to mean a wooden tablet dedicated to a shrine or a temple to offer thanks for making a wish come true. Now, it is used to send one's wishes to the deities.
Ema ("horse pictures") are wooden plaques used as a gesture of hōnō (act of offering) at shrines and temples to show appreciation. Hōnō took place when one had a wish and it came true through divine grace. Nowadays, ema are used simply as means to deliver a wish to a god.
Until recently, all ema would have a pointy top and bear a picture of a horse. Nowadays, you can find ema in different shapes and designs. Instead of pictures of horses, some even have anime characters and unique shapes.
There may be many types of wishes people ask to gods. They are most often used by students who make a wish to pass entrance exams. By writing them down on ema, their personal goals will become more clear.
goshuin
A goshuin is a stamp seal to prove that a person has visited a shrine or a temple. If you plan to visit shrines and temples, collecting these beautiful seals will be fun.
A goshuin is a seal stamp which proves that you visited a certain temple or shrine. The stamp has the name of the temple or shrine and the date you visited, making it a perfect souvenir. It was originally a stamp people received as proof of Buddhist sutra training, but now anyone can get one for just visiting.
The design of each goshuin differs depending on the temple or shrine. Some are simple, some have dramatic brushstrokes and some even have cute animals on them. Each seal stamp is unique.
In order to get a seal stamp from temples and shrines, first, you will need to get yourself a goshuin-chō. This is something like a notebook for collecting seal stamps. These are sold at many temples and shrines, for about 1000-1500 yen. Goshuin-chō notebooks also have different designs depending on the temple or shrine, so you will surely find one that you like.
A goshuin is a stamp that proves you visited, so once you have a goshuin-chō, next you will need to visit a shrine or temple. When you get to the shrine or temple of your choice, look for a spot where they sell talismans, charms and fortune telling papers, or a place called Shuinjo, or where you can receive your seal stamp. Here, simply open up your goshuin-chō to the page you want your stamp and hand it to the staff.
If it's crowded, you might get a number ticket so that your goshuin-chō doesn't get mixed up with someone else's. You will probably have to wait 5-10 minutes, and the price is usually about 300 yen.
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