Happy New Year!

Omikuji are random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan. Literally "sacred lot", these are usually received by making a small offering (generally a five-yen coin as it is considered good luck) and randomly choosing one from a box, hoping for the resulting fortune to be good. Getting an omikuji is a common part of visiting a shrine or temple, but New Year is the time when they’re most in demand.

Happy New Year!

(You can tie your bad fortunes onto a pine tree at the shrine to keep away the bad luck, by the way. You don't have to try and fight the gods!)