With the New Year's shrine visit season approaching in Hokkaido, the local Ezo Mikuji fortune slips are gaining attention as a way to create memories of your trip. They are popular for their unique designs that feature local specialties, such as catching saury, digging potatoes, and scooping crabs. In this article, we'll introduce the charms of five particularly unique picks from the 15 varieties available.

"Ezo Mikuji" are made from papier-mâché, with motifs of local specialties and famous items that are considered to be "regional treasures." Inside are fortune slips written in the Hokkaido dialect. They are distributed at 15 shrines in Hokkaido, and each shrine has its own unique way of drawing the fortune slips! Some shrines also have photo spots that are perfect for social media, making them a fun place to visit and enjoy collecting.

Kotohira Shrine in Nemuro City is selling "Fukuzanmai Omikuji" (Lucky Fortunes) (initial offering fee: 500 yen), which are based on the motif of Pacific saury, which boasts the highest catch volume in Japan. The fortunes are enclosed in styrofoam and are pulled up with a fishing rod. They also have charcoal grill sets and set meal sets for photography, so why not try creating a charcoal-grilled Pacific saury set meal?

Catch the saury that you think is the one!

The miniature bamboo fishing rods were handmade by the shrine staff.

The fortune slip for the pacific saury you caught is grilled over charcoal!

The photo set is also elaborate, with rice, miso soup, and small side dishes!

Kotohira Shrine

■Address: 1-4 Kotohiracho, Nemuro City

The cute, round potato fortune slips, "If you're going to do it, do it now" (initial offering fee: 500 yen), are sold at Urahoro Shrine in Urahoro Town, Tokachi. There are two ways to draw the fortune slip. One is to dig it up from the field with a mini shovel. The other is to pull the fortune slip out of the bamboo steamer with tongs. There are also photo spots available, so be sure to enjoy it.

Fortune slips are buried in the fields made from wood pellets

Use tongs to remove the sweet potato from the steamer, which is designed to resemble a steamed sweet potato.

A teppan set just like at a family restaurant

It also enshrines the rare breast goddess "Nyuujin Shrine"

Urahoro Shrine

■Address: 18-1 Higashiyamacho, Urahoro Town

At Hokumon Shrine, located at the northernmost tip of Japan, you can find the "I Kani Ii Mikuji" (good luck charms, even horsehair crabs) (initial offering fee: 500 yen), which is based on the motif of a hairy crab. A major feature of this shrine is that you can only get it at the shrine office, and you draw your fortune by scooping it up with a net. Other unique charms and talismans available include the "Shima Raider Talisman," which is distributed at seven shrines in Hokkaido, and the "Kozuke-mamori," which depicts a guardian lion dog with a child, and is also known as the shrine for blessing children.

If you want to draw a fortune, be sure to do so at the shrine office!

Scooping up the crabs with your net will make you feel like a crab fisherman!

"Shima Raider Tag" is a road safety sticker featuring the long-tailed tit.

Hokumon Shrine

■Address: 1-1-21 Chuo, Wakkanai City

Iwanai Town's specialties are walleye pollack and cod roe. Iwanai Shrine's Ezo fortune telling, "Tara Fuku Fortune Telling" (initial offering fee 500 yen), is an elaborate fortune telling slip shaped like cod roe peeking out from the belly of a walleye pollack. It is said to contain prayers for "a full stomach and happiness." Why not try drawing one while praying for a good catch?

Iwanai Shrine

■Address: 41 Miyazono, Iwanai-cho

Biei Town is a place where crops grow in fertile soil. In the summer, the beautiful flower gardens and farmland scenery are popular. Biei Shrine, which is worshipped as the town's guardian deity, distributes "Tomimorokoshi Omikuji" (Tomimorokoshi Fortune Slips) with a corn motif (initial offering fee: 500 yen). The fortune slips are shaped like "grilled corn" on a grill. Be sure to grab one with tongs to enjoy the atmosphere!

Biei Shrine

■Address: 4-1-1 Higashimachi, Biei

The charm of the "Ezo Mikuji" fortune slips, which are based on Hokkaido's specialty products, is that they can be enjoyed like an attraction, with fishing and digging. The paper mache figures look great on social media and are perfect as a memento of your trip. Why not enjoy a stamp rally-like trip visiting 15 companies while taking photos with them?