Handmade omikuji ideas: DIY crafts you can make and play with
Many people visit shrines to pray and draw omikuji during major events like New Year’s and entrance exams, don’t they?
It can be a bit worrying if you get a bad fortune, but the excitement of not knowing what you’ll get is fun, isn’t it?
This article introduces ideas for making your own omikuji.
With origami or recycled materials, you might be surprised at how easy they are to make.
Since most designs are simple, they’re great for crafts with children.
Give it a try as a little New Year’s entertainment!
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Handmade omikuji ideas: DIY crafts you can make and play with (11–20)
Shishimai Omikuji
If you see a smiling shishi-mai (lion dance) omikuji, the kids will definitely want to stick their hands in! Prepare an empty shoebox or similar, and cut a hole in the top to match the size of a drain strainer lid.
Attach parts to form the lion dance face around the hole, then install the drain strainer lid—trim the central rubber section into a circle to make it nicer to the touch—and your omikuji box is complete! After that, just put the fortunes inside.
Besides fortunes, it’s also recommended to write messages that will make the children smile.
Fortune slips made with a snack tube
Here’s a simple fortune-drawing game using a cylindrical container, like an empty potato chip can.
Spread glue on construction paper and stick it to the side and lid, then make a hole in the lid just big enough for a coin to pass through.
Next, write fortunes on clean, dried ice cream sticks and put them in the container.
Apply adhesive around the inner rim of the lid and close it, and your instant fortune-drawing game is ready! The fun part of a handmade fortune is that you can freely come up with the contents.
Why not create it with the whole family while thinking up amusing fortunes with your child?
Fortune-telling with disposable chopsticks and cardboard
This is a simple omikuji you can make with cardboard and wooden chopsticks.
Cut the cardboard into pieces for the bottom, lid, and sides of a hexagonal prism, and assemble each part.
If you lightly score the fold lines with a utility knife, it will come out neat.
Once the box is finished, attach slips of paper with fortunes written on them to the chopsticks, set them inside the box, and you’re done! Even if you’re not good at drawing plans, you can easily make it by using free downloadable templates—give it a try!
Fortune-telling made with a paper cup and straw
A fun craft to do with kids is a fortune-drawing toy made from a paper cup and a straw.
Since all you need are a paper cup and a straw, it’s easy to try.
The structure is simple, too: combine paper cups to make a tube, then insert a straw into it.
Use a pen to write results like “good luck” or “bad luck” on the straw.
If you change the words, you can also use it to assign teams for games or decide cleaning duties.
You can even decorate the paper cups to your liking for extra fun.
A fortune slip made with an empty box and straws
This is a simple project: use an empty box as a container for omikuji fortunes and make the fortunes themselves from straws.
It’s important to choose an empty box that matches the size you want, and you could even start by making a small box yourself.
Cut the straws to a length that fits inside the box, and write the fortune—such as “Great Blessing (Daikichi)”—on the tip.
You can decorate the box however you like; include motifs that bring good luck to make it a fun omikuji.
Designing it mainly in red is recommended, as it evokes the atmosphere of shrines where omikuji are placed.
