Shrines etiquette and details since borders reopening

Hi everyone.

I have begun planning for my first trip since 2019 (I hope I will be able to return in March) and am wondering what the typical shinto sanctuary visit process is at the moment.

Before covid, one of my favortite things to do was sightseeing, (entering sacred ground, soaking in the atmoshphere of many different places, paying my respects) and of course, looking for goshuins. Each time I went to Japan I spent a lot of time doing that (discovering cities walking is so wonderful, and hunting for places of interests spotting toriis is so much fun), therefore I would love to get some feedback as to how things go at the moment when you enter Jinjas, like for instance :

-Has the cleansing with water made a come back (considering the ladles used to purify oneself disappeared from many places in 2021/22) ?

-Have the goshuin offices reopened and are they offering to write directly in your goshuincho again (since a lot switched to pre-made leaflets to stick in you booklet to avoid hand contact) ?

-Can you still get omikujis ?

A lot of these tiny bits of informations were described when the pandemic was at its highest and tourists were still banned but I struggle to find comprehensive details on what one could expect visiting shrines in 2023. I am aware that many Japanese people are still wearing masks but little is said about measures to avoid the spread of germs.

Thank you very much.

Bonus unrelated question : Have public onsens resumed welcoming foreign patrons like “before 2020” (without hassle) ?

1 comment
  1. > Has the cleansing with water made a come back (considering the ladles used to purify oneself disappeared from many places in 2021/22) ?

    Some are still out of service. Some are back as normal. Some become free flowing water. Some is now faucets.

    > Have the goshuin offices reopened and are they offering to write directly in your goshuincho again (since a lot switched to pre-made leaflets to stick in you booklet to avoid hand contact) ?

    They are all open. Some do write directly Some don’t.

    > -Can you still get omikujis ?

    Yes

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