Shrine Hopping (Part 4)

Part 4: Suwa Shrine

For the final part of my shrine hopping adventure, I went to Suwa Shrine near Tachikawa South Exit. From Kumano Shrine, I went back to the hotel to change my shoes (my feet were killing me) and walked about 20 minutes from the hotel to the shrine.


It was a big place, a lot bigger than the previous shrines I've been to for the last 2 days. There were multiple torii (entryways) from different points of the shrine. From the torii, there is still a bit of a walk leading to the first main gate, and then finally the grounds.

It was not a holiday when I visited, so there was not much people. There was a student sketching, and a couple of people praying at the main shrine. I even saw an actual shrine maiden.

I finished touring the grounds just before they were closing. So, I took some final pics of the stuff around the shrine and finally walked back to the hotel for dinner and rest.

So, that's the end of my 2-day shrine hopping adventure. Sorry, it took me so long tot write it. Anyway, if you ever come to Tachikawa, Japan, don't forget to visit these shrines yourself. Maps are available at the JR Line Tachikawa Station - and it's available in different languages. Have fun!

Shrine Hopping (Parts 2 & 3)

Part 2: Azusamiten Shrine (aka Cat Shrine)

So, I finally found the correct shrine last Sunday, May 10, 2015. Which is a bit nearer to the hotel than the other one.

As shown in their website, the shrine houses 2 major deities, and have at least a handful of subordinate shrines. Its main sanctuary is the oldest structure in Tachikawa City. It is a designated municipal tangible cultural property because of its high value.

Honden

Sessha

Purification Pavilion

It was called a Cat Shrine because a lot of people used to come and pray for the health and safety of their pet cats. Also, people in silkworm business pray to the cat guardian so that their products will not be destroyed by mice. For all that reasons, I was expecting a lot of cat statues, but I saw only 2 statues:

But I did find the ema with cat pictures and they are as wonderful as in the internet. There were a lot of families coming to pray. There was a little prayer room near the information center, so the families can buy prayer materials and lucky charms and then go into the room and perform a little ceremony. Tourists are not allowed inside unless they are going to pray the traditional way.

Prayer hall and Information Center

There were also small shrines (sessha) aside from the main Honden. Visitors can come and pray at the main hall, then visit the smaller ones as well. At the far side, there is one quite outstanding building because of its pure wood color. It reflects the sunlight so the entire area looks like it's glowing in warm light.

Hall of the Sacred Dances

I finally had the courage to ask the information center for some map to other shrines. Good thing I did too, because I wouldn't have thought there were many so near Tachikawa station. The shrine lady (sorry, don't know what to call her) gave me a map and highlighted the other shrines I could visit.

I just hoped that I could visit all before closing time. :)

Part 3: Tachikawa Kumano Shrine

I have to be quite specific in giving the name because there are a lot, and I mean A LOT, of Kumano Shrines all over Japan. This particular one is not so far from my current location. I could actually walk from the office to the shrine!

I even got a little lost from the monorail station. I, once again, made a mistake in my GPS so I walked a little farther that I would like. But at least I saw a colorful building on my way to the shrine.

i think it's a school.. 

The actual shrine was a little different than what I imagined. According to my map guide, it was supposedly a place for a lot of festivities, but the place was too quiet. I guess it's only during holidays that the place is brighten up.

Torii

dog guardian 1

dog guardian 2

So, thats 2 more on my shrine hopping list. I'll post the last one on the next part. See you! :)

Shrine Hopping (Part 1)

It's official, I am a GEEK. I am the type of girl who likes to curl up in a corner and read books on weekends rather than go out and have parties. So, it's no wonder that when I got the opportunity to go to Japan for work, I had a little troubling planning my weekends.

On one hand, I really want to explore this beautiful country, on the other, I am terrified of too many people. Maybe that's why I didn't enjoy Akihabara so much and just went to find a peaceful adventure. So with that dilemma, I found the perfect solution via Virtual Tourist. I got a map and decided to do a little shrine hopping.

Part 1: Azusamiten Shrine

Last Saturday, May 9, 2015, I planned to visit the Azusamiten Shrine which I found in the Virtual Tourist. It showed a small but cheerful shrine with cat statues and cute ema with cat pictures. So, I typed in the name in my google maps, and traveled on my own for 1 1/2 hours.



I had fun on the way - it was my first time going by that road. Even last time, we haven't tried to travel this part of Tachikawa. First bad luck was that I missed the bus from Hakonegasaki Station. It takes another 30 minutes before the next bus, but it's ok, my map showed that I can walk to the shrine in less than 20 minutes. So I walk and did a little sight seeing - I even saw a small shrine by the side of the road. :)

When I arrived to the shrine, I was a bit disappointed. It was dark, and a little sad. There were no people praying and no cat statues anywhere. That's when I realized my second bad luck: I got lost. It was the correct address, and correct name. It's just that there were 2 shrines in Tachikawa of the same name, but different kanji spelling. Yeah, so I guess, learning to read kanji is really important.

But I was already there, so I might as well take pictures. It was still beautiful, in a melancholy sort of way. The details were definitely traditional Japanese architecture. I did have a horror film kind of vibes, but it's ok. It was still early, so I was not that afraid (sort of).

As I was going down the shrine steps, I heard an old lady calling. I thought she was talking to someone behind me, which actually gave me the shivers since I was alone. It turns out that she was talking to me, only she was referring to me as Nana-chan. When I finally approached her, she realized her mistake. She mistook me for her granddaughter (I think), :)

We chat (as best as we could - with language barrier and all) and she and her husband invited me in their house for tea. It was my first time to enter an almost traditional Japanese house. We sat in the Japanese room, and warmed ourselves with the kotatsu. :) We had ocha (green tea) and manju bread (with red bean paste). I saw a picture of Nana-chan, and I did look like her from afar. Her eyes are definitely smaller, and her skin paler, but her facial structure was very similar to mine. I did not take a picture, that would be too weird.

Sahoda Family

After that, I went home, which was good timing too. It rained just after I arrived at the hotel. So, I just had quick dinner and searched the web for the other Azusamiten Shrine. I found another address, and I went last Sunday, May 10, 2015, and to at least 2 more shrines. :)

So this part has been too long, I will continue this adventure on to the next part. See you! :)

Getting Lost in Akihabara

Akihabara is known as the place-to-be for all modern tech and gadgets. A lot of people go here to buy cellphones, tablets, computers and other gadgets for very low prices. Also, if one wants to see cosplayers and other anime-related stuff, Akihabara is a paradise. 

Aside from the gadgets and cosplayers, Akihabara is also the home to a lot of maid cafes where, as the name implies, the servers are dressed as maids and call the customers as master or mistress. I've never been inside one, but I heard it's just like in the mangas and anime. :)

Akihabara Electric Town

Anyway, I went to Akihabara for the same reason as many foreigners do. But after two hours of walking around and going from one shop to the next, I got tired of seeing all these modern stuff and yearned for something a little simpler. So I started walking to the direction (don't worry, I had a map) which have less people, and I found this:

Kanda Myojin Shrine

This is the Kanda Myojin Shrine which, according to history, houses three major deities: Daikokuten, Ebisu, and Taira no Masakado. Many businessmen come to Kanda Shrine to pray for properity. What interests me most in this place are the ema or wooded plaques, where people write their prayers and hang them around sacred trees. 

Ema tablets with cool drawings.. :)

I also tried one of the Dancing Dragon fortune. :)

Dancing Dragon

my fortune.. <3

fortunes tied around a sacred tree

Afterwards, as I was looking around the temple, I saw some people gathering near the restaurant. There was a wedding parade! And I was lucky enough to see it. Three years ago, Divina and I also witnesses 2 weddings at Meiji Jingu Shrine. I really do like how they do their weddings, so traditional and solemn. The bride, groom and principal sponsor all wore traditional Japanese clothing, while the other guests were wearing cocktail dresses and black-tie.

attending strangers' wedding.. hehehe

Too bad it's not allowed to take photos inside the honden (main temple), but I did get some nice architectural photos of the temple and its details. 

It started raining again after a while, so I started my way back to the station. On the way, I saw a cafe that I think my friends will really like. XD

hehehe.. :)

So, that is how I spent my Sunday rest. If anyone wants to see the Kanda Myojin Shrine, it is located at 2-16-2, Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda,Tokyo 101-0021, just 10 minutes walk from Akihabara Electric Town. You can get a map from the station, but the Kanda Shrine will be just a tiny dot in the map. Nevertheless, the tiny dot sure made my day and my walk so very worthwhile.