Fukutoku Shrine, Shinto shrine in Chuo City, Japan
Fukutoku Shrine is a small Shinto place of worship tucked between modern buildings in the Nihonbashi district of Chuo City, Japan. Its compact grounds hold a wooden main hall, stone lanterns, a red torii gate, and a short path hung with wind chimes that sound as people walk beneath them.
The shrine was first established in the late ninth century and has been relocated several times as the neighborhood changed, including stints on the rooftop of an office building after the Second World War. It reached its current spot near Coredo Muromachi in 2014.
The name Fukutoku means good fortune, and the small adjacent grove called Fukutoku-no-Mori gives a sense of rest among the glass and concrete around it. Visitors often stop briefly, bow, and then continue their shopping trip or walk back to the office.
The shrine sits a short walk from Mitsukoshimae and Shin-Nihonbashi stations, though the entrance is easy to miss along a narrow street between two shopping buildings. Early morning is the easiest time to move around the grounds, since daytime brings more foot traffic from the surrounding shops and offices.
During the Edo period, the shrine was one of the few places legally allowed to sell lottery tickets, and that link with games of chance continues today. On September 2, known as Lottery Day, a special area is set aside for visitors hoping to win a drawing or other contest.
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