February 11 is National Foundation Day, and what could be more appropriate than to celebrate it at Kashihara Jingu in Nara prefecture (ancient Yamato). The shrine is supposedly located on the very palace where Emperor Jimmu started the country in … Read the rest
At the back of Sumiyoshi Shrine in Osaka is a small shrine called Nankun Jinja. It seems to be part of Sumiyoshi, yet it’s independent at the same time. The priest explained to me it was a massha (an auxiliary … Read the rest
Kanzanji Onsen in Shizuoka Prefecture is a small and commercialised hot spring resort, but rather delightful out of season when there are no crowds to spoil the peace. It’s on Hamanako, which used to be a fresh-water lake until … Read the rest
Yahoo Travel has come up with an eyebrow-raising list of the world’s most popular spiritual sites. Places that spring to mind might include the Vatican, Stonehenge, Varanasi…. but the world’s no. 1, according to the site, is Meiji Shrine in … Read the rest
One of the New Year rites at Shimogamo Shrine is the Okayu Festival, in which visitors to the shrine are invited to eat rice porridge in the belief that it will prevent illness during the rest of the year. … Read the rest
Kamo kami
Living next to a World Heritage site has its advantages, one of which is being able to pop across the road to make the first shrine visit of the new year. I did it rather late this year, … Read the rest
Those of us who live in Kyoto are spoilt. As soon as the glorious autumn colour light-ups finish, we get the Hanatouro light-up in Arashiyama. The area was once a pleasure-ground for the Heian aristocracy, when boats plied languidly across … Read the rest
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