In this picture you can see the wooden pieces (Ema) where shinto followers write their wishes. The themes of the wishes are very varied. Peace on earth, is one of the most popular, but others pray for more mundane things (help in finding a good husband, passing an exam, good luck in business, etc).
All the ema in the picture are written in Japanese, but in other shinto shrines in Japan one can find wishes in foreign languages written by tourists.