We opened our office in front of Meiji Jingu Shrine on August 1, 2024.
In conjunction with this, I paid my respects and offered prayers at Meiji Jingu Shrine, my local guardian shrine. I registered and paid the offering fee at the Kagura Hall, and participated in the Shinto ritual at 10:00 AM, carrying my prayer offering.
In the Kagura Hall, a large drum is beaten, a purification ritual is performed, and prayers are recited. Shrine maidens, holding seasonal flowers, perform the Kagura dance "Yamatomai." This dance is said to be unique to Meiji Jingu Shrine and was created for those who pray in the Kagura Hall.
After the Shinto ritual was over, we received the sacred offerings and a protective amulet, and tied the prayer wand used in the ritual to it with a knot. The knot was tied in a single, untied knot.
The dream of setting up an office in Harajuku, something I vaguely considered back in high school, has somehow come true. I will visit the shrine to express my gratitude on August 1st, 2025, one year after the end of the prayer period. I look forward to enjoying the prayer ceremony again then.
