Shinto shrines in Japan need sake or rice wine for their ceremonies and festivals. Sake brewers in Japan then donate wines to shrines for this purpose. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. The brewers provide the wine, and the shrines pray for the brewers' prosperity.
At major shrines in the country, barrels of sake are displayed in stacks outside, as shown in the picture above taken at the Meiji Jingu or Meiji Shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo. These barrels are called kazaridaru or "decoration barrels." Although they are empty, they symbolize the relationship between the shrine and the sake brewers.
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