05/03/2026
Pray at the Shrine, Deliver in Industry
Thank you to the friends who reached out after reading my blog over the past few days. I truly appreciate your attention and your kind words about the content.
These days mark the Lunar New Year for many in the Chinese community. I’ve seen quite a few clients and friends visiting temples to pray. I once heard that in some southern regions, people even line up a day in advance to be the first to offer incense.
Japan is not so different — except here, we line up for the first shrine visit of the year.
In Japan, the first shrine visit of the New Year is called *Hatsumōde*. It doesn’t have to be on January 1st. As long as it is your first shrine visit of the year, it counts.
Of course, popular shrines on New Year’s Day are overwhelmingly crowded. Waiting four or five hours in line is completely normal.
In our family, we usually go the day before work resumes — avoiding the peak crowds and quietly offering our first prayer of the year.
How do you choose which shrine to visit?
Is there a religious requirement?
The answer is no.
Shrines originate from Japan’s indigenous Shinto belief system — a cultural and spiritual framework built on reverence for nature, respect for ancestors, and the idea that all things possess a spirit.
You’ll notice that shrine names are closely connected to everyday life and nature. For example:
* Inari Shrines — associated with agriculture and business prosperity
* Tenmangū — dedicated to scholarship (Sugawara no Michizane)
* Hachiman Shrines — protection and martial fortune
* Kumano Shrines — nature and renewal
Very grounded. Very human.
And precisely because of this, shrines have no strict religious barriers. They are more like cultural spiritual spaces. You can be Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, or have no religious affiliation at all — you are still welcome to walk in and pray.
This is also why, when we design itineraries for clients from around the world, we often include shrines across different regions of Japan.
As for “how to choose” —
Some people visit their local guardian shrine. Others choose based on their wishes: academic success, career advancement, love, health, safety.
A close friend of mine, every time she comes to Tokyo on business, asks me:
“Where should I go to pray for love?”
I’ve recommended Tokyo Daijingu to her many times.
It is considered one of Tokyo’s most famous shrines for matchmaking and relationships. Many people visit specifically to pray for romantic luck.
And yet — she has perfectly missed it every single time.
Once she even stayed near Suidōbashi Station — just a short walk away. But something always came up. Meetings ran late. The schedule was too tight. A last-minute appointment appeared.
Sometimes I wonder — perhaps that’s why she keeps returning to Tokyo every year “to continue praying.”
Just a joke, of course. I sincerely hope she finds her happiness soon.
For those of us in business seeking prosperity, I often recommend Toyokawa Inari in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture. It is commonly counted alongside Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto and Kasama Inari Shrine (or Yutoku Inari Shrine) as one of the “Three Great Inari” shrines of Japan.
Few international visitors are familiar with it. Yet seasonally, especially during special events, it is incredibly photogenic.
As one of the Three Great Inari sites, Toyokawa Inari has a long history. It was deeply revered by warlords such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, as well as by common people during the Edo period. It is famous for the “Fox Mound,” where around 1,000 stone fox statues stand.
Although its name includes “Inari,” it is in fact a Buddhist temple. When visiting, one simply presses palms together in prayer — there is no need for the Shinto-style ritual of two bows, two claps, and one final bow.
(Buddhist shrines — now that’s another story. I’ll save that for my next blog.)
Aichi Prefecture, incidentally, is often considered the heart of Japan’s manufacturing kingdom — especially in automobiles, aerospace, machinery, and ceramics. Many world-class companies were born here, including Toyota Motor Corporation and major aerospace production bases of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
Sometimes I half-jokingly wonder whether Toyokawa Inari has something to do with it.
Faith, perhaps, is a kind of warmth.
From a spiritual world shaped by reverence for nature, respect for ancestors, and belief in the spirit within all things — to the tangible reality of precision component ecosystems, century-old manufacturers, and family-run enterprises…
Behind these industrial clusters lies a very Japanese sense of conviction —
A reverence for time.
Not rushing toward explosive growth, but choosing decades of steady refinement.
Perhaps that is why, in shrines, people pray for *shōbai hanjō* — prosperous business — while in factories, they pursue *hinsh*tsu daiichi* — quality first.
Spirit and industry are not two separate worlds.
They grow from the same soil.
If the opportunity arises, consider joining a journey that combines industrial visits with local cultural experiences.
You may discover something new.
(Recently, in selected regions, we have been arranging special shrine visits and even private evening receptions within shrine grounds for corporate clients. Feel free to reach out for more details.😊
