On New Year’s Day especially, prayers pile up at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples throughout Japan. Written on wooden plaques, called ema, these wishes float to the heavens. “Find me.

Matsunoo Taisha is the guardian Shinto shrine to Kyoto's west. In April and May, the deities are carried through the ...

graffiti prayers for success cover every available surface, down to a bell and the offering box. And in a very unusual move, the local community association that manages the shrine even has ...