Housewife Utako Ando (not her real name), 41, has been interested in fortunetelling for a long time. One day, a fortuneteller told her that her home would be robbed, and when she came back from vacation she found the prediction had come true. "That really surprised me," she says. "I believe fortunetellers can make accurate predictions -- probably more than 80 percent of the time." Ando recently began studying astrology and tarot at Tarim, a fortunetelling school in Harajuku. There are four other students, in their 20s to 40s, in the Thursday tarot class she is taking.
"I found out about the school from a magazine. My husband and children have been very encouraging, saying I should follow my interests. In the future, I would like to become a professional," she says.
Located on Takeshita Street, the teenage mecca in Harajuku, Tarim opened its doors for business in 1986. It pioneered the concept of the "fortunetellers' house," where a variety of different fortunetellers work together under one roof. Today there are more than 50 registered fortunetellers of various specialties at Tarim, working in 12 booths by turn.