the fortunate me (Culture Tip #6)

Well, yesterday I was Coming of Age Day here. It's the day when anyone who turned 20 in the last year celebrate their ability to vote, and drink legally. I went to my favourite shrine with Miyuki, my language buddy. I had no idea it was Coming of Age Day (or more like I had no idea what it actually entailed), so I was surprised to see so many beautiful girls in Kimonos. I don't know whether I was staring more at the girls or the kimonos, because everything seemed amazingly beautiful.

Aside from the commotion, I went to get my omikuji or fortune for the year. All shrines will give you a piece of paper with your fortune written on it. You throw in a silver coin, kinda grab one haphazard and unfold it. Lucky for me, my fortune for 2007 will be dai-kuchi, the best—or litterally the 'biggest'—fortune.

culture tip: once you have read...and by 'read' I mean 'deciphered' your message, you roll it up and tie it onto a tree. The shrine will burn them later so the message becomes part of the universe.

But back to my fortune for a second. Good luck in business, and relationships, if I stay moderate and avoid arrogance. Love will be 'tough' (bad translation, because it wasn't the word I know for tough, as in 'difficult'), but I shouldn't be pushy. As for travel, I will likely not go alone, and it will be to the north west (Europe maybe? Kazakstan???). Also, if I lose anything this year, I probably won't find it again.

So there you have it! I mean, I wish I could have taken the note with me to study it in detail, but I had to tie it to that cone-shaped thing. Oh well...