The Japan of today is a visual overload of advertisement, from neon lights to visually screaming prices in stores to an overabundance of signage. But the Japan of the past used signs like these to show which companies were supporting a temple. Perhaps equally outrageous in those days, to think of pasting pieces of paper with company names onto the temple itself, but in today's day, this seems classically acceptable. See Daryl's beautifully captured photo of sake barrels for another version of companies advertising at temples: http://365project.org/darylo/album5
Interesting. Why then does Meiji have the French wine barrels just across from the Sake barrels? I didn't follow a special tour or read too much as I visited. But I did get my stamp book at Meiji! :)
