Tour Report: Meiji Shrine & Harajuku on September 3, 2023; Car Exorcism

Thank you to those who participated in the Tokyo Free Walking Tour (TFWT) at Meiji Shrine & Harajuku today.  On the first tour day of September, we welcomed 5 guests from Italy and the United States of America. We hope you all enjoyed and shared interesting and joyful conversations with each other during the tour.

Most school children in Japan have already gone back to school.  Now that the summer holidays were over, many people were hoping the summer weather would be over as well. However, today was still a hot and sticky summer day.

Group A

Group B

Group C

There is a place, called “Kuruma-harai sho,” where people can get a new car purified for safe driving.  A shinto priest sways a special wand (streamers attached to a wooden pole) to drive away bad luck.  Many famous and large shrines have “Kuruma-harai sho,” and even some local shrines as well.

According to today’s guests, there are similar purification ceremonies both in Italy and in the Hindu communities of San Francisco.  “Kuruma-harai sho” is said to have started since cars became more and more popular among common people. The spirit of praying for a safe and sound journey and voyage has not changed since the olden days.

Your feedback or comments are always important and helpful to us all. If you enjoyed our tour, please consider posting a review on our TripAdvisor/Facebook etc.  Once again, thank you very much for joining the Tokyo Free Walking Tour during your precious time in Tokyo.  Please don’t forget to share your experiences with your families and friends!

For more information about our tour, please visit our web site at https://tfwt.jp/top/meiji-shrine-and-harajuku/ , https://www.facebook.com/TokyoFWT or Tokyo Free Walking Tour at https://www.tripadvisor.jp/.

(Posted by Kazuyo)