Fortune Telling and Superstition in Persona 4

Recently I began considering fortune telling in Japanese video games. Fortune telling is a huge cultural phenomenon in Japan, and appears in nearly every media. Video games is no exception to this. While looking into fortune telling, I also crossed paths with both superstition, faith, and the mystical. One excellent case study (and one I am currently addicted to) is Persona 4.

Persona is a lovable JRPG / Everyday life simulator. Half the time you are an ordinary school student, the other half you are a shadow-hunting, crime fighting, monster summoning badass. (More on fantasy culture in Japan later.) 

One of the immediate appearances of Fortune Telling / Forecasting in the game appears as a weather forecast. While maybe not immediately apparent as "fortune telling," you quickly learn that the weather determines what you can do, and who may die. 

Another case of Forecasting / Fortune Telling appears when you attempt to create persona's. (In short, you make a monster, and on certain days the monster gets buffs.)

Oh, but the game goes further. There is even a shrine, in which you can pull a fortune that increases your bond with a chosen individual. (Who knew a piece a paper could get you the person of your dreams huh?) Oh yeah, and the shrine is ran by a fox. 

Well, more on this later. Back to the game!