With the country's economic slide showing no signs of easing, a record number of Japanese turned to Shinto gods and Buddha for help during the New Year holidays, police statistics showed Friday.
A record 99.39 million people, up 1.21 million from last year, visited Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples throughout Japan during the first three days of 2009 to pray for happiness, the National Police Agency said.
An agency official attributed the figure, the largest on record since 1974, to relatively good weather and said, "There may be many people who prayed for economic recovery."
Meiji Jingu Shrine in Tokyo was on top in terms of the number of visitors, at 3.19 million, followed by Naritasan Shinshoji Temple in Chiba Prefecture at 2.98 million and Kawasaki Daishi Temple in Kanagawa Prefecture at 2.96 million.
The figures compiled by the agency are based on data from those institutions.
Meanwhile, more people from last year tried to escape the grim reality and spent their time on recreation. The NPA data showed 3.43 million people visited amusement parks and sightseeing spots during the given period, up by 40,000 from last year. Among such locations, Tokyo Disneyland and the adjacent Tokyo Disney Sea in Chiba Prefecture raked in 342,000 visitors, the largest number, the NPA said.