WeAreAwake.org

this is part of a thread i found on www.japan-guide.com/forum Sheds a little light on the tree that Charlotte tied the piece of paper to in the kyoto sequence:

The tree can be any tree (no particular name for it, at least to my knowledge).
When people visit shinto shrines (sometimes buddism temples, too), they draw "omikuji" - small pieces of paper giving you words of wisdom and often telling your fortune as well - after making small donation of 100-200 yen.

When it says "good luck" (there are even some grades, 大吉 daikichi/big fortune, 中吉 chuukichi/middle, 小吉 shoukichi/small), you are supposed to keep it. But when it tells a bad luck (凶 kyou), people don't want to bring it home, and leave it there, tying it on a branch of trees or anything handy (rails of fence, for example).

Somehow, people especially young ones do not know when to keep omikuji and when to leave it behind, they tend to tie it even when it is a good luck one these days!

Thanks for the interesting fact about Japanese culture, and what happened in the film. Maybe the paper she had said "bad luck" or it said good luck but she did not understand it. I guess it would be good to go do this when I visit Japan.

I have to brag here... after I fell completely in love with this film I got the opportunity to visit Japan to see a friend, and took the trip to Kyoto as Charlotte did, by Shinkansen. When we were walking around Kyoto we somehow happened upon the shrine with the paper tree, its called the Heian Jinga. If you go to the gardens at the back of the courtyard she walks across you'll find the set of stepping stones that are also in that sequence. I couldnt beleive we had happened upon that place. Awesome. Ive been back to Tokyo since and made sure we ate and drink at the Park Hyatt. Could never afford to stay there!