Sanpai

What it means

Sanpai is the act of visiting a shrine or temple to pay your respects and pray. It covers the whole visit, from passing through the outer gate or torii to standing before the main hall and offering a quiet word. People come to give thanks, to ask for health, safe travel, or success, or simply to mark a season such as the New Year's visit known as hatsumode.

A useful distinction: sanpai describes the act of paying respects, while omairi is the more everyday word for the visit itself. Sanpai is often the term you will see on signs and in temple literature.

How to do it at a shrine

Before approaching the hall, it is customary to rinse your hands and mouth at the water pavilion, called the temizuya. At the offering box, toss in a coin, then follow the usual order of two bows, two claps, and one final bow, known as nirei-nihakushu-ichirei. Bow deeply twice, clap twice at chest height, hold your hands together for a moment of prayer, then bow once more. There is no need to speak aloud. A handful of major shrines, such as Izumo Taisha, use four claps instead of two, so it is worth checking any posted guidance.

How temples differ

At a Buddhist temple the etiquette is quieter, and the single most important difference is that you do not clap. You press your palms together in a gesture called gassho and bow. If there is an incense burner, you may waft a little of the smoke towards yourself before praying. Recognising which type of site you are at is simple: a torii gate marks a Shinto shrine, so the two-clap etiquette applies, whereas a temple gate leads to Buddhist grounds, where silence and gassho are the norm.