The town of Kurashiki which lies west of Okinawa city on the way to the Inland Sea, boasts a very attractive historical area. The well-preserved buildings host a variety of craft shops, cafes and galleries centred around a small … Read the rest
Category: Shrine visits (Page 11 of 21)
On a recent visit to Kiyomizu Temple here in Kyoto, I happened to come across Wakamiya Hachiman-gu, which also calls itself the Pottery Shrine. It’s on Gojo street, at the bottom of the slope leading up to the temple, … Read the rest
From Kurama Temple, the path leads up to the top of the hill where there are a number of subshrines and an area of knotted tree roots. One of the subshrines (Mao-den) houses the meteorite on which the deity … Read the rest
PAGAN’S DELIGHT
For a neo-pagan, Japan is a magical treasure-house of sacred sites and power spots. Many date back to prehistoric times, their origins obscured by a mist thicker even than that of ancient Avalon. There are swords here … Read the rest
Yoshida Shrine is alluring, attractive and one of the reasons I came to live in Kyoto. It also happens to be one of the most significant shrines in history, for it was from here that Yoshida Shinto was propagated … Read the rest
Kyoto’s Kamigamo Shrine takes the spotlight this month, since it’s co-hosting the Aoi Festival with its sister shrine Shimogamo.
The Aoi Matsuri is the oldest of Kyoto’s festivals, dating back to around 544 according to Nihon shoki. The name … Read the rest
With the return of self-avowed nationalists to power in the Abe-led LDP government, Yasukuni has once again become a political football to be kicked with gleeful relish into the faces of those who suffered Japan’s war crimes in WW2. … Read the rest