This comic was a special request from my friend who recently discovered that all her charms that she bought in Japan "doesn't work" anymore. Of course, I was the one who broke the "secret"... Japanese shrines and temples practice this way in order to get continuous funding to maintain their facilities. On the other hand, Chinese temples gather funds by accepting freewill donation (also called incense money) from devotees and visitors praying for good luck, health or wealth. The charms bought from Chinese temples will also last a life time, as long as you maintain a good heart and do good deeds. Extra money from collection will also be donated to related charities annually to continue benefitting the community. On a side note, priests and monks are also very different in Japan, it is more like a job there. They go to work at the temple/shrine during the day, and go back home to their families (yes, they can marry!) at night. Some even go drinking or visit ...
