Omamori: protective charms
Omamori are small brocade pouches sold at shrine and temple stalls, each blessed for a specific purpose — safe travel, good health, exam success, romantic luck, safe childbirth among the most common. Tradition holds that an omamori should never be opened to see what's sealed inside, and that it's respectfully returned to a shrine (not necessarily the same one) after about a year, when its protective power is considered to fade.
Ema: wooden wish plaques
Ema are small wooden plaques, often illustrated, on which visitors write a wish or prayer before hanging it on a designated rack within the shrine grounds. Reading through a rack of ema — even without understanding the Japanese — gives a genuine, unfiltered glimpse into what people actually come to a shrine hoping for: exam results, health, relationships, safe travels.
Omikuji: fortune slips
Omikuji are paper fortunes, drawn (often for a small fee) from a box after a bit of shaking or a random draw, ranging from great blessing to great curse. If the fortune is good, it's common to keep it; if it's bad, tying it to a designated tree branch or metal rack at the shrine is meant to leave the bad luck behind rather than carry it home.