A Shinto priest was fixing the condition of the paper rafters on the stairs leading up to the shrine

Shinto priest correcting the condition of a zigzag-shaped paper streamer

I had assumed that the daily schedule for a Shinto shrine begins early in the morning, but it turns out that at least at Hakodate Hachimangu Shrine, mornings are not so early. After getting off the tram at Yachigashira, I walked up a gentle slope, passed through a torii gate, and climbed some more stairs. I found Hakodate Hachimangu Shrine standing with Mount Hakodate in the background. Hakodate Hachimangu Shrine was quiet in the morning, and priests in hakama (traditional Japanese male dress) were opening the doors of the shrine and getting ready. Unless it is the godless month, the gods are probably here 24 hours a day, but it is difficult for a flesh-and-blood person to keep up with such a strenuous schedule. We want to sleep at night and rest two days a week. In that way, God is a tireless worker.

Shrines are not in business, so the expression "preparing for the opening" may not be appropriate, but the sight of priests hurriedly opening the windows of the shrine pavilions and fixing the sacred rope and zigzag-shaped paper streamer is not unlike staff preparing to open the park at a theme park. In both cases, the atmosphere of the stage is important because the worldview is significant. The only difference between a shrine and a theme park is that religion is the theme.

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