24 June 2009-
The Hachiman Shrine, built in 1264, was dedicated to Emperor Ohjin and Empress Jingu. The Empress is the guardian deity of Sasebo. It is the main shrine of Sasebo and citizens and tourists alike are encouraged to visit and appreciate the beauty or ask for good fortune.
After washing your hands in the fountain (pictured), you go up to the shrine and ring a bell to awake the spirits and give an offering of 5 yen ($0.05). You MUST donate a gold 5 cent piece and not a silver one (the Japanese are very superstitious). Then you bow twice, clap your hands twice, ask for the blessing you have come for, and bow twice more.
You can also buy a white, decorative card and write your wish down and post it on a wall. When your desired outcome occurs (ie, you get into college or your crush falls in love with you) you return and remove it from the wall. They leave it up for a year before it's removed. Be careful with food because the pigeons will jump right onto your hands for a bite to eat.
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