Fate and fortune

Fortune telling is a serious business in Japan. KS peered intently at palms, charms, cards, whatever we could find, and this is what we saw.

Whether it's counting brush strokes in a person's name or reading the creases of their palms, Japanese people have a variety of ways to seek answers to life's questions. Self proclaimed psychics offer different ways to advise people on the decisions they make in life and at work.

Neither science nor religion, estimated millions worldwide flock to the often overlooked service industry of fortune telling for guidance.

Not many people in service industries can get away with telling people they are going to hell. Queen has turned it into a catch phrase. Also known as Kazuko Hosoki, Queen has written over a 100 books on the subject of fortune telling and is frequently considered to be one of the most influential women in Japan, according to her Wikipedia biography. Her TV specials where she demonstrates her alleged psychic abilities fetch her millions of yen per appearance. Friends with Asashoryu, Sumo's Yokozuna, and defender of former Prime Minister Koizumi's policies, Queen has a lot of influence.

When she felt a character on a popular Fuji TV drama resembled her and even used a similar catch phrase, Queen demanded an apology and got one. According to Masatoshi Kuwahara of Japan Today, the producer got down on his hands and knees to beg forgiveness. One would imagine Queen uttered a variance of her catch phrase at that point.

Charging thousands of yen per visit, less successful fortunetellers likely earn respect from customers with softer techniques and phrases.

Fortune telling in Japan can be viewed in more traditional surroundings of temples and shrines. Many Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples offer omikuji readings for a few hundred yen. The customer shakes a wooden stick from a box. The stick, usually with a number on it, is then exchanged for a paper fortune with a matching number. Good fortunes are pocketed while bad fortunes are tied to trees on the grounds of the temple or shrine in the belief that the bad luck will be grounded there.

Omikuji are most popular on New Year’s Eve and day when many temples and shrines see the most visitors.

Seimeihandan is likely the most popular form of fortune telling in Japan. Popular with many parents to be, seimeihandan practitioners advise parents on what to name their children based on the number of brush strokes in their names. Choosing the right kanji, with the right number of brush strokes, is believed by some people to be a lifelong influence on a person.

While omikuji and seiheihandan are often thought of as the popular means of fortune telling in Japan, fortune tellers like Queen and countless others rely on techniques with a more western feel to them.

Still used as playing cards in parts of Spain and Italy, Tarot decks are more often associated with fortune telling, especially in Japan. Gokuraku Shotengai, a mock up of the Dotombori area of the 1920s, offers an “alley” dedicated to tarot readers. Primarily a place to take the family on a rainy afternoon, Gokuraku Shotengai, in the Ebisu Plaza building in Namba, offers carnival games and 1920s styled shops and restaurants along with the fortunetellers. The feel of the surroundings lends a sense of amusement to the readings here.

Becoming a client of a more “serious” fortuneteller in a brick and mortar shop dedicated solely to fortune telling is easier than interviewing one. Many prefer not to discuss their business but are glad to help people looking for a reading.

Ranging in price from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000, the brick and mortar shops welcome the customers to sit in their often dimly lit waiting room. A look around the waiting room finds mostly women, well dressed, reading magazines or sitting quietly. The mostly late 20s to early 30s crowd don’t break the silence of the room.

While there are, obviously, many fortune tellers who speak Japanese, finding one who speaks English can be difficult, but the staff here finds a heavy-set woman who will try her best. Cutting the cards several times and offering them once to the customer for a cut, the tarot reader lays down eight cards in quick succession, then sits back to find order in the random selection. She mentions doubts about work and love and appears to wait for a response. When none is given, she mentions possible disputes with family or close friends. Some readings can be hard for the fortuneteller and client, especially considering the language barrier.

Tarot readers can be found in alleys in the Dotombori area and are frequently crowded on Saturday nights. The better-known shops, such as Jupiter, are proud members of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce. Uranai House Queen on the fourth floor of the OCAT building also offers tarot readings.

Easier to find, especially on a weekend night, are teso readers. Known as chiromancy or just plain palm reading, these fortunetellers are the gypsies of the bunch. Carting their folding tables and lanterns with them to regular corners and alleys, they offer passersby a quick read. Many of the teso readers appear to be in a trance, or sleeping, when the customer approaches. Standing up and picking up a flashlight, the reader takes the customers upturned palm in his or her hand and begins the process. A quick explanation of what line is which, followed by a study of the hand is followed by a few questions. When the customer answers, more questions often follow and the reading turns into a brief conversation. The palm reader offers advice, often with a smile, money is exchanged and the hand job is done.

Fortune telling is not without its detractors. Some people view the psychic ability demonstrated by fortunetellers to be merely cold reading. Using a variety of high probability guesses, stage magicians have been imitating alleged psychic powers for decades. Telling a person over 40 that one of their parents has died is likely to be true, then narrowing the cause of death to have involved an illness in the chest region is common technique used by some cold readers. Chances are that over 50 percent of the population have had a parent die under those circumstances.

Whether a person believes in psychic abilities or not, it can’t be denied that some people find solace in the hands of fortunetellers. Filling the roles of psychiatrists or religious leaders, some people have opted to seek advice from people who practice an art which is just as old or older than the one it replaces.

The primary role of most fortunetellers is offering guidance. It’s up to the customer to act upon it.

Text: Charlie Harrington
Photos: Charlie Harrington, Erik Nauman