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Why power spots are so popular these days in Japan?
Power spots boom is still active today, and especially supported by women in Japan. The other day I had a chance to speak my own opinion to Metropolis magazine (a free magazine especially dedicated for foreigners living in Tokyo area) about this topic. I briefly commented to them but it’s a good topic to share with my readers as well. Here’s my thought.

For a long time, something spiritual or psychic sounded somewhat dubious to most of Japanese people. However since the TV program titled “Aura no izumi” started, Ehara-san and Miwa-san‘s guide to the spiritual world was so natural that we realized it was OK (safe enough) to speak about things like that. In other words, they succeeded in creating the atmosphere throughout Japan that speaking of something psychic is not seen weird or crazy. I think the “Aura no izumi” was an eye-opening TV program to most of us. Yes, I loved to watch it as much as I could, although I normally don’t watch TV often!!

Ehara-san has also become very well-known icon as a spiritual counselor. He has published a number of self-help books that teach us how to think and live with happiness. Above all, it’s highly possible that the book titled “Shinkikou (神紀行)” published in 2005 can be a great motivator or trigger to power spots boom.

Ehara-san and Miwa-san are also connected with many celebs and high-profile figures in show business in Japan, some talent started to mention their experience of visiting power spots on TV. Japanese women especially like to follow what’s new and hot, they want to take over what the talent they like are experiencing. It was a big profitable chance for mass media and related businesses, there’s no way they miss it. They treated power spots repeatedly on TV, magazines and books, to make it a sort of fad by involving more people. Those people who watched on TV that someone achieved her goal after praying at a certain shrine of certain power spot, will be likely to visit that place.They are willing to travel to the place, shopping related items such as lucky charms and maybe spending more money. It’s a fad and a business that creates a good reason or a trigger to make them open their wallet in a bad economy. That’s how I think.

That’s why those who like to follow power spots boom are not always sincerely following such way of thinking naturally. Some people only like to follow the fad and when it’s gone, they may even forget about that. Or our diseased economy or society can be another factor that makes people rely on anything that might change things better.

However, whatever the immediate reason, I think it’s true that more people are now aware of invisible things than materials and this is a good phenomenon.
What do you think about power spots? Have you visited one of them and had some good effect or luck?

What’s going on in Japan lately? These days it looks like many people are crazy about power spots. What’s so funny about it is that it’s no more than a fad. Many people who like to visit the places called “power spot” lately do visit there because those places are hot and popular now, not because they naturally liked to visit shrines for example.

My friend who likes to visit shrines and temples were just amazed with embarrassment to see way too many people in a small shrine these days, which she found was a place introduced as a power spot later. According to her she felt it so weird that those people didn’t seem to respect those places or the Gods. Some of them spoke loudly, behaved badly, dressed inappropriately for a worshipper.

Reflecting power spots fad, TV programs, books and magazines like to introduce power spots one after another.
According to TBS “Ousama no brunch” some shrines in Tokyo are considered power spots.
(The woman in the show wearing a pink dress and a wig acts like this all the time for this program. So please don’t take it seriously. ^ ^)

Imado shrine
This shrine is famous for god of marriage.

The great thing about this video is that it explains manners of praying at shrines.

1) When we enter the Torii, or the shrine gate, we should avoid center position. we should step from left leg when we take a position of entering at the left side of the gate, and do with right leg at the right side of the gate. Of course we are not supposed to forget to make a bow before entering the gate.

2) Then we should wash off our hands and mouth at Temizuya.
When we do it in the right order, it will be from left hand, then right hand, and mouth (by left hand) by a ladleful of water for each part and wash off the ladle for the next person when we leave.

It’s said that Imado shrine is a birthplace for Manekineko (beckoning cat).
Manekineko that has left hand beckoning means it beckons money, while right hand beckoning means meeting a good partner. I wonder what Manekinekoduck was…^ ^;

It’s not common that the Ema is round shaped.
They put the meaning of good luck (luck is 縁 pronounced as “en”) into the circle shape (circle is 円 and pronounced as “en”).

3) We make the sounds by shaking the big bell to let the God know we came here to pray.
2 bows 2 claps and 1 bow at a praying. Clapping noise can be big enough for the God to notice it.

What makes Imado shrine power spot is these Manekineko. We are encouraged to take a photo and make it a standby screen of cell phone because that can boost our luck in love.

Omikuji at this shrine is 200yen each and is focused on love only.
They hold an “Enmusubi no kai” that single men and women meet up for tea and possibly for new romance.
We can also take Panda bus from Imado shrine to go to Asakusa for free.

Atago shrine
It’s located at the top of Mt. Atago which is the highest place in the 23 wards of Tokyo.
Atago shrine is especially famous for successful career.
86 steps of stairs are steep but they have Matsuri as in the below video every other year.

At the top of the stairs there is a shrine, a pond with many carps (The carp is a symbol of a successful career.) and a Japanese cafe named “T”. It’s said feeding the carps in the pond will encourage economic fortune.

Ekouin is a shrine highly related with sumo.
There is a tiny grave for Nezumikozou and a stone in front of it.
It’s said we can be lucky with money when we grind down the stone a little bit and bring the powder back home and keep it with ourselves.

Kirin’s opinion:
I’m not interested in what we call “power spots” only because it’s so popular now.
But it was nice I learned how to act properly at shrines. I don’t think even most of us, the Japanese don’t know exactly how to enter the shrine gate and which hand is first to be washed off. I knew 2 bows 2 claps and 1 bow at praying, but I never thought of its meaning! But don’t worry nobody will blame you even if you don’t follow our rules exactly. I guess the most important thing is not to fotget respectful attitude at any power spots and stay modest or humble against Gods or nature… What do you think?