Category: Advertising

Totem sponsored by Oki

I have previously blogged about sponsors being present in shintoist temples, and how even Coca-Cola has its own presence in the Meiji Jingu temple. Outside of the Meiji Jingu temple there are also many totems, tablets, torii gates… which are sponsors by local companies or donated by individuals. Normally the company names are written with Japanese characters and company logos are forbidden. However, sometimes there are exceptions, like for example this totem that caught my attention with the logo of Oki, the renowned electronics and printer manufacturer.

Totem sponsored by Oki
Holy forest sponsored by Oki.

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Sponsors inside Meiji Jingu temple

Post author By ageekinjapan
Post date August 26, 2009
2 Comments on Sponsors inside Meiji Jingu temple

When I visited the Meiji Jingu temple for the Hatsumode tradition there were lots of sake bottles at the altar from different famous distilleries that pay to have their bottles placed next to the Gods. By doing this they hope business will go well in the future.
The funny thing is that there were Coke and Sprite bottles as well (The sign says Tokyo Coca-Cola bottling company). The monk was sitting down next to the Coke bottles during the whole ceremony :). I wonder how much The Coca-Cola Company payed to have those bottles placed right there in the most visited Hatsumode ceremony in the country. Can you imagine a Christian priest with Coke bottles next to the altar during mass?

Meiji Jingu
Altar overview

Meiji Jingu
Sponsors inside the temple!

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Phone building

I loved this! It is a Biccamera (Electronics shop) with a phone facade where each button indicates what the clients can find in each floor. For example in the button(floor) number seven we can find “Windows, computers” and in the button(floor) number six we can find “Macintosh, computers”.

telefono biccamera