Hokoku Shrine (Osaka)

– Hokoku Shrine – 豊國神社- Osaka(大阪市) – December 30, 2019 The instant you get out of the station, you can spot Osaka Castle. It’s raised up high above the mote and stands several stories high. You can’t help but stare at it as you stroll through the park towards it. But as you wander around the corner, your eye gets taken by a large torii gate. This is the gate to Hokoku Shrine. Just through the torii you can see a large statue of the man the shrine’s dedicated to: Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the second great unifier of Japan and the…

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Ankoku-ji (Okinawa)

– Ankoku-ji – 安國寺- Naha(那覇市) – July 26, 2019 After spending a few wonderful few days with the turtles and fish of Akajima, we had only one overnight stay in Naha. This meant only one day to sight-see. My husband and I love going to world heritage sites and I adore castles, so of course we chose Shuri Castle. However, we traveled so far and I was dead set on getting at least one goshuin while we were in Okinawa. Ankoku-ji is only a few minutes walk from the main gates of Shuri-jo. The gate into the shrine is, to…

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Takayama Betsuin Shorenji

Takayama Betsuin 古井神社 Takayama (高山市) March 24, 2019 Takayama Betsuin Shorenji is a splendid Jodo Shinshuu Otani sect temple in the scenic town of Takayama in Gifu Prefecture. Jodo Shinshuu is by far the most common kind of Buddhism in the Hida area of northern Gifu. The text in the center reads “Kueissho”, a phrase in Japanese Buddhism meaning that everyone will meet again in the Pure Land. As we drove up this chilly morning in March, we passed piles of snow on the side of the tollway before flurries started falling. Most of Japan was already warming up and…

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Inuyama Naritasan

– Inuyama Naritasan – 犬山成田山 – Inuyama(犬山) – January 6, 2019 Inuyama Naritasan is a branch temple of Naritasan Temple near Narita Airport in Chiba. It’s located in the northern part of Inuyama near Inuyama Castle and the Kiso River. From the top, you can see  a stunning view of the castle with the river in the background. One thing you notice upon entering is the size of the parking lot. There are two reasons for this. One is that in this part of Japan, most people drive. The second is that Naritasan is particularly famous for car protection charms…

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Fushimi Inari Taisha: Inari Yama

– Fushimi Inari Shrine (Oku) – 伏見稲荷大社奥社 –Kyoto(京都) – November 23, 2018 Fushimi Inari Shrine is a large shrine in the Fushimi ward of southern Kyoto that’s famous for it’s long, red torii gate lined paths up Mt Inari. It is the head shrine of all the inari shrines across Japan dedicated to Inari, the shinto god of rice. There are over 30,000 in Japan, making it the most numerous of all the kinds of shrines. In addition to its famous red torii, you can also find statues of foxes throughout the premises. Foxes are believed to be the messengers…

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