More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

Honjo is a large village on the north shore of the Nakaumi and the main village shrine was a branch of Kumano Shrine. I think this was t...

On the sunday morning all signs of the previous night had disappeared and ceremonies were held. The first took place in front of a si...

Sokinoya Jinja Sokinoya Shrine is listed in the Engi Shiki so it is at least 1,000 years old. It's located at the base of the hills so...

Mikoshi are sacred palanquins or portable shrines used for transporting kami most often seen during matsuris when the kami are paraded...

The first shrine building to be built here was probably built around the latter part of the seventh Century. For a brief period the “ empero...

The procession reaches the riverbank where two boats are waiting to ferry the mikoshi upstream. One boat carries the young men with the bamb...

Tsunozu's Otoshi shrine is in the old part of the village where a maze of alleys and narrow roads and traditional houses are still maint...

The annual matsuri for a shrine will usually include a procession. The details differ a little from shrine to shrine, but the format is basi...

Like so many shrines and temples, Otosho shrine in Miyoshi is at the top of a flight of steps. Otoshi, one of Susano's many sons, is a t...