In the serialized television drama Come Come Everybody, shown on NHK in late 2021, the main character is a Japanese confectionery shop owner who, while boiling azuki beans to make anko paste, fervently utters an incantation passed down through her family to “be delicious, be delicious...” and “think of the happy faces of those who eat.” This entreaty passes into the azuki beans and on to the people who eat them, putting a smile on their face and lifting them out of their woes. I feel like the daily chanting of “shingon” by the monks of the Koyasan Shingon Buddhist sect is similar to the incantation in this television drama. When spoken not as a mere word but as a heartfelt entreaty of complete and pure conviction, it averts bad fortune while ushering in good. For more than 1,200 years, the prayers of Koyasan have continued ceaselessly, captivating all people. And these prayers from Koyasan continue still, seeking a return to health not only for Japan but for the whole world, so that we can move on from COVID-19 pandemic and embark on a new beginning.