Small wooden plaques used to express wishes to gods have been hung up at Shinto shrines for centuries. But in the age of social media, some people are opting to cover what they have written using a sticker to protect their privacy.
Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture became aware of stickers covering the plaques, known as ema, earlier this year after being contacted by a visitor who had noticed them, with the person asking if the renowned Shinto shrine was accepting of the practice.
“If there are people who want to hang (their ema) with a sticker over it, we thought that was fine,” said Hideoki Matsui, a priest at the shrine.