A popular New Years' tradition in Japan is to visit the local temple, or Jinja, on new years day.
At Hanazono-jinja (花園神社) in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the gates are opened and hundreds of thousands of people
stream in over the three days of the year to give a traditional New Year’s Prayer and donate to the temple, and in return they
receive a fortune written on a rolled piece of paper which can give insights into the year ahead.
In 2013 I was taking candid shots as people opened and read their fortunes, and while I was never privy to their contents, it was a unique experience to see so many people from different walks of life all stop and take a moment
to read theirs before tying it to a branch or railing (another tradition if the fortune is not as favorable as one hoped.)
As they read, they were almost motionless, transfixed by mans' ageless desire to peer into the murky future..
I hope you enjoy the photographs and I thank everyone who was featured in the images.
