Photo/Illutration Fukutokujinja shrine is seen surrounded by tall buildings in the Nihonbashi-Muromachi 2-chome district of Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on Nov. 10. (Ryo Oyama)

A priest at a central Tokyo shrine was puzzled at first when a worshipper thanked him for helping him score a concert ticket for a famous pop group.

Hiroyuki Korehisa, 37, who serves as a “gonnegi” official at Fukutokujinja shrine in the Nihonbashi-Muromachi district in Chuo Ward, was told by the man that he “was chosen” and that “the deity answered my prayers.”

That was just after the man had successfully managed to book a prime seat at a Southern All Stars concert.

The worshipper said he placed the receipt for his application for a concert ticket in a lucky charm bag from the shrine, hoping he would win a seat through a lottery. Korehisa said he was impressed by “such a novel interpretation” of the shrine’s benefits.

Quietly nestled among the skyscrapers in a bustling business district in the capital, the 1,200-year-old shrine is now packed with people who desperately want to attend concerts and other events amid a pandemic that has slashed the number of available tickets and inflated their prices.

“As the traditional expression ‘gohiiki’ (patronage) indicates, people hope to support individuals and groups they love in any era,” said Korehisa.

Fukutokujinja has been renowned among lottery ticket buyers hoping to win prizes since at least the Edo Period (1603-1867), when the shrine sold its own tickets on its grounds.

But that now extends to rock concerts, plays and other events where people can get a glimpse of, or even meet, their favorite celebrity actors and musicians.

Word started to spread last year that paying respects at the shrine would lead to obtaining event tickets.

The shrine began responding to the sudden demand in February by praying that visitors will be successful at reserving their lottery and entertainment-event tickets of choice.

Many “ema” wooden wishing plaques are currently being offered and displayed at Fukutokujinja, a reflection of strong demand for live events.

Risa Kagami, 30, a part-time worker from Yokohama, recently visited Fukutokujinja after she heard about its reputation on social media.

She put her palms together in prayer and donned a serious look on her face.

Kagami was applying for tickets to the popular Touken Ranbu theatrical drama, which kicks off early next year.

“It will not matter whether I win a seat,” Kagami said. “I simply hope the play will be able to take place peacefully.”

As the novel coronavirus spread throughout Japan this year, theater productions and live concerts canceled one after another, although the government eventually eased event restrictions in September.

Organizers now often scale back the number of available seats to enforce social distancing, so tickets for popular events have become increasingly hard to come by. Because of that, even more people are turning to Fukutokujinja to hope for luck.

The shrine has now adopted the catchphrase, "How many times can you see your ‘oshi’ through your life?” In modern Japanese, “oshi” means one’s favorite celebrities and mascot characters.

“Some people may feel hesitant to see their loved ones during the coronavirus crisis,” said Korehisa. “But it would pose no problem that a shrine caters to such an honest feeling that people have.”

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