The Washinomiya Shrine is one of the oldest in the greater Tokyo region

The Washinomiya Shrine is one of the oldest in the greater Tokyo region and features in the opening credits of Lucky Star.After the show debuted in 2007, fans began visiting the shrine in droves. Those numbers increased after a popular magazine printed directions to the shrine. At first, many in the area vocally opposed the influx of fans, replica Patek Philippe 5101P Men's Watch because they did things like left messages for their favorite Lucky Star characters. Critics didn't like what the shrine had been reduced to and that people seemed to be worshiping deities (here, girls) that were not the shrine's own. But Shintoism is a flexible religion.

If blessing cell phones and cars is kosher, then accepting girls can't be too far behind. But the fans kept coming and coming and coming. Last year, over 300,000 visitors. flocked to the shrine, which is 130,000 more than the previous year. Protest and opposition died down with the shrine and surrounding shops largely catering to the shrine's replica Patek Philippe 5016R Men's Watch otaku (“geek”) visitors. Fans apparently spent millions of yen on Lucky Star goods. And fans snap photos of the shrine's gates, not because of the shrine's long, rich history, but because it appears in an .

Many of these shrines in rural Ibaraki could only dream of record attendance like that. Though, is the price worth it? Culture Smash is a daily dose of things topical, interesting and sometimes even awesome — game related and beyond.[Pic, Pic, Pic, Pic]”Tennis sim Top Spin 4 teased more realistic controls when it was announced three months ago; a retail listing says it'll continue sports gaming's trend of moving commands to the right analog stick. A singleplayer career mode also is coming. replica Patek Philippe 5130G Men's Watch “My Player,” which debuted in MLB 2K10 last spring and has been a moderate success in 2K's NBA series for two years, will arrive with Top Spin.