Free: All time
Where do the tech geeks of Tokyo’s Akihabara go to pray? Kanda Myojin shrine. Somehow, this ancient shrine (dating back as early as 730AD), has become the place in town for the tech crowd to connect with their spiritual side. To keep up with and attract the young generation, Kanda Myojin modernized their lucky charms. Instead of the predictable embroidered cloth bags, their charms are designed to look like computer hardware. They came in three separate pieces – a credit-card-sized one for your wallet, a medium-sized sticky strip for your computer, and a tiny SD-card-shaped sticker for your phone. So rejoice geek of the world, never again will your ID be stolen nor your gadgets go bonkers. Unfortunately, the charm doesn’t come free. Visiting the shrine is though. Kanda Myojin is the home shrine of the Kanda Matsuri (Kanda Festival) in mid-way, one of the three largest festivals in Tokyo.
Address: 2-16-2 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda, Tokyo
Opening hours: Daily 9am – 4pm
Direction: Subway Ginza Line to Suehiro-cho Station, Exit 3
Phone: +81 3-3254-0753
Website: www.kandamyoujin.or.jp
Photo credit: Gail Nakada (CNNGo), Guilhem Vellut (Flickr CC), pelican (Flickr CC), Yoshikazu Takada (Flickr CC)
