The few Japanese shrine visitations had been boring until i got to the biggest and most important one in Hokkaido; the Hokkaido Shrine! Aside from the vast and peaceful compound it occupies, i was also impressed with the wide variety of amulets for sale!
Unlike the kitschy ones in Chinese temples, the Japanese versions were visually more appealing and most came in cute, little silk-like pouches that were charming yet surrounded with an aura of traditional simplicity.
You do get modern design like the hello kitty one but at least for Hokkaido Shrine, they were limited to at most two. On site, i only found one.
As a superstitious Singaporean with Chinese ancestry, i thought the lucky charms made great gifts and spent a long time at the counter choosing the designs and their corresponding benefits like good health, protection against traffic accidents, success in business / luck etc.
In total, i spent over 5,000 yen for my family and closest friends. Would love to get more but my cash was running low! To be fair, i didn't even get one for myself.
All of them neatly packed in a paper bag!
Appending a leaflet from Hokkaido Shrine that reflected the list of amulets for sale, their pricing and perceived protection. The list is not all comprehensive though as some of the charms i saw were not in it. Want to know more about omamori? Click here.
For our 8 days, 7 nights Hokkaido itinerary in summer, click here.
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