Photo= Women practice how to bestow good-luck talismans at the orientation meeting for Miko assistant ministrants (Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto)

On December 9, Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, held an orientation meeting for "Miko," or shrine attendants, who will serve in the shrine by bestowing good-luck charms, etc., on New Year's Eve and through the New Year's Holidays. About 130 students learned about the spirit and manners of Miko.

Expecting about 500,000 visitors over the first three days of the New Year, the shrine recruits assistant ministrants every year. Women dressed in white kimono and scarlet "Hakama," or a Japanese divided skirt, practiced polite ways to say, "Thank you for visiting," and how to respond to visitors who come to the reception counters.

A female participant, who is a junior at Osaka International University, commented, "There are so many types of talismans that it's hard to remember them all. I want to provide reliable service with a smile."