Tag Archives: strange shrines & temples

December 28

The One Word Saint

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As the old year draws to a close (and we say good riddance to all that was disappointing and discouraging), and a new year is about to begin (along with the ever-springing hope that it will be better than the last), I find myself thinking about this odd little booth that sits in a quiet […]

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August 18

The Lost Cat Shrine

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Don’t you just hate it when your kittehs get a touch of the walkabout? Well now you can do something about it. A quick prayer at the Tachikawa Suitengu Shrine will have them back on your doorstep quicker than a twist of the can opener! If you’d like to visit the Lost Cat Shrine the […]

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May 31

The Dish-Breaking Shrine

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This spring, the ever-impish kami-sama apparently thought I was in need of some sort of life lesson. Because every time I set out with a well-planned, perfectly-timed plan, it was like this: “You know that amazing thing you traveled three hours on four trains to see? Well, forget it. You’re not going to see it. Instead […]

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January 11

25 Obscure & Amazing Things To Do In Tokyo

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-1- Make a wish that you could draw as well as the other visitors at the anime & manga shrine Where: Kanda Myoujin Shrine (Kanda) • -2- Get your warts disappeared by the Wart-Curing Jizo Where: Nishi-arai Daishi Temple (Daishi-mae) • -3- Go check out what the best dressed nude statue in Tokyo is wearing this month Where: […]

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December 17

The Werewolf Shrine

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  High on top of a snowy mountain in Chichibu – so far from any train station that you’ll be eligible for a senior citizen discount by the time you get off the bus – is the Mitsumine Jinja. At first it looks like a typical Shinto shrine with fox messengers at the gate… …but a […]

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May 20

The Fox Shrine To End All Fox Shrines

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I knew I was going to love the Sasuke Inari Shrine from the moment I saw the long tunnel of red lacquer torii gates leading into the deep, dark woods. But nothing prepared me for the mossy, foxy, wonders that lay beyond! If you’d like to visit the Sasuke Inari Shrine the next time you’re […]

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January 02

Get Your Wallet Blessed By Fire & Drums

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  There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned fire ceremony to get your year off to a blazing start! Flaming prayer sticks, drums being pounded by ultra-buff young priests, the chance to get your wallet blessed – what’s not to like? The fire ceremony at the Fukugawa Fudo temple in Monzen Nakacho did not disappoint! If your experience with […]

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