More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

Mitarai, a small port on Osaki Shimozima Island in the Inland Sea is a truly delightful step back in time. Much of the small town is a...

The Nio gate to Jyoso-ji is some distance from the temple itself, though the temple complex was much larger in earlier times. It is said...

Misode Tenmangu in Onomichi is built on the spot where Sugawara Michizane stopped and rested in 901 while on his way to exile in Kyush...

Sada Shrine, located north of Matsue, was once the most important shrine in the Izumo region. Enshrined in the central honden are 5 kami...

Being a mask maker myself, one of the things I am always hoping to find in my explorations of shrines are masks, so I was absolutely d...

The Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage is obviously still quite populkar judging by the number of Osamefuda left on thye doors of the Kannon-do....

Usually when I am walking a pilgrimage I have studied the maps and have a pretty good idea of what shrines I will be passing, but Hitsu ...

There are many species of ducks in Japan, but I believe these are Kamo, the common mallard. They were and are eaten, and their arri...

Terutoko Shrine is located in the middle of a small, low, wooded hill in the suburbs of Matsue northeast of the castle. It is listed ...

These two demon masks were located behind the main building of the Hachiman Shrine in Yuki, a fishing village on the south coast of To...