A miko collecting the shrine’s morning donations.
In Shinto, traditionally miko[1] were the daughters of the Shrine’s priest and held an important place in running the shrine. These days, a miko is more likely to simply be a shrine assistant, likely only holding the position as a part-time job during college; they do odd jobs, sell souvenirs and fortunes, and maybe do some dances at traditional events.
Most people donate a little when they visit shrines. The most popular amount to give is 5 yen or 50 yen. Both of those coins are considered lucky due to the hole in the middle.
I made a monochrome edit of this which I rather like.
What say you? Which is better? (First five comments get a share of SBI each)
 | David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. |
me-koh ↩