Cultural Bit

Here in Japan, many people adhere to certain superstitions. Although I don't think superstition is the right word, because what I'm about to share with you is connected to a Japanese Shinto belief. I'm not sure if its an official part of the religion, but here is the sign in front of our famous Hofu Tenmangu Shrine:

The character above the highlighted pink lettering is the Kanji for female, and the right side is for males.

The pink side shows three different ages. 19 years old, 33 years old and 37 years old. The male side shows the ages: 25, 42 and 61.

The Japanese version of TODAYS DATE IS: 22/8/2. (August 2nd, 2010). That is because we are in the 22nd year of the current emperor's reign. When the current emperor dies, the clock will reset, I guess you can say.

So in this 22nd year, for females, the unlucky ages are 19, 33, and 37. And if you are a 25, 42 or 61 year old male, you best be prayin'.

I found out about this because my amazing supervisor at one of my schools (O-sensei) is 33, and she does have the feeling that bad things have been happening to her.

So she bought the good-luck charm below, specifically designed for those in the ominous year of their life, and often prays for much needed good luck.
If you are interested in getting clearer information about this practice, please e-mail me at steffieyoung@gmail.com, and I shall get you more information! I think that this little bit that I know now is really interesting, and would love to have the excuse to pry more into the culture, so ask away! :D