NIIGATA -- Shrine maidens tossed omikuji fortune slips into the air at Gokoku Shrine in Niigata to raise the luck of visitors on their first shrine visit in the New Year.
The shrine started the "mikujiage" ritual in 2020 in an effort to lift the spirits and fortunes of those feeling down amid the spread of the novel coronavirus.
On Friday, about 20 shrine maidens tossed up some 50,000 omikuji slips as they called out, "Let's raise them, let's raise them, let's raise the omikuji."
"We invested our wish into the omikuji that next year will be a good and bright year," said the shrine's priest.
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