I just got back from a Shinto shrine

[RazorbackExpat]

I don't know what your image of Shintoism is, but in today's Japan, it's basically a religion for the here and now. In other words, it's for people who want something good to come into their lives, or to keep bad things out of their lives. There are different kinds of Shinto shrines that specialize in different things, like safe childbirth, traffic safety, finding a good mate, and so on. There are different ways to ask for what you want, such as making a silent prayer at the entrance of a shrine, writing your request on a prayer board and hanging it in a special place at the shrine, or attending a special personalized ritual officiated by a Shinto priest.

The shrine I attended offers rituals for different requests, ranging from safety in the home (家内安全 ) and factory safety (工場安全 ) to elimination of evil things in your life (厄除け ). Technically, there are certain years in your life that are considered to be particularly susceptible to evil things. For men, early 60s are considered to be particularly dangerous, called yakudoshi (厄年 ). My
60s have sucked, so in years past, I went to that shrine to ask for the bad shit to get out of my life. It seems to have worked. However, the last two years I never made such a request, and I had some major health problems both years. So hopefully my health and personal situation will be OK this year. I just hope it will be a good year as well for my family, friends, and everyone here.