Best Place to Pray for Love in Kawagoe: Hikawa Shrine

Japan is home to many shrines dedicated to love and relationships, and the historic Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine is one of the most famous spots for this purpose. On the day of our visit to Hikawa Shrine, it was bustling with people, including devout locals and curious tourists. One of the shrine's most unique features is the fish-shaped wooden amulets used for drawing fortunes. The fortune slips are placed in the mouths of wooden fish, and worshippers use a fishing method to draw their fortunes, which is incredibly creative. Excited and full of anticipation, we picked up the fishing rods, carefully lowered the lines into the basin, and tried to catch one of the fish. After some effort, we finally managed to catch a fish, which was a lot of fun. Besides fishing for fortunes, other blessing activities include tying relationship knots and hanging ema plaques. Visitors write down their wishes, pray for the gods' blessings, and then hang them in designated areas.