Let's go to Hatsumode at Funabashi Grand Shrine, an ancient shrine with a long history of over 1900 years! Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture

The water comes out automatically, not with a ladle, so you can purify your body and mind before visiting the shrine! You can visit the shrine with a refreshed mind.

Nirei ni hakudeshu ichirei" (two clapping hands and one bow) is the current basic manner of praying at the shrine. If you pray with your hands firmly together and with all your heart, your wish will surely come true!

After praying, why not draw an omikuji (fortune slip) to predict your fortune for the year ahead? You can tie it to a tree branch or take it home as a good luck charm!

The shrine pavilion seen from the second torii (second shrine gate). The approach to the shrine is crowded with many people during the New Year's holiday. The shrine has a long history, and many people visit throughout the year to pray for blessings and to ward off bad luck, making it a familiar spiritual center for the citizens of the city.

The "Toumyo-dai" (lantern stand) on the shrine grounds was built in the Meiji era (1868-1912) by people involved in the fishing industry in Funabashi. With a height of 12 meters, it is said to be one of the largest existing private lighthouses in Japan, and is designated as a tangible folk cultural property by Chiba Prefecture. It is marked by its hexagonal roof that adopts the style of Western-style lighthouses. You can feel the breath of the Meiji era!