clapped twice and bowed again in front of Jogu Jinja shrine. This shrine, located right alongside Irogahama beach in Fukui Prefecture, is known as "Osan-no-Joko-san," or the shrine of childbirth.

Aioi-no-yashiro, a small shrine on the grounds of Shimogamo Jinja Shrine in Kyoto, is known to have a “god of matchmaking” as its guardian deity. When I visited the place, numerous “ema ...