A wonderful thing about living abroad is that one can learn new things frequently as an adult, something only infants do when stranded in their birthplace. Today, I learned 玉串 - “tamagushi” - which is that olive-like branch considered sacred in Japan (the best definition I’ve read about it is “a sprig of the sakaki tree that is decorated with shide - zigzag paper streamers.”) Today, the mayor of Uto City presented a tamagushi to a shinto priest in hope that their city hall will not be destroyed by an earthquake again. I don’t want to delve into the separation of church and state or efficacy here - but if it works, I’ll shower my local shrine with tamagushi. - William