On Sunday we finally kicked the sightseeing off with a trip to our first (of what i'm sure will be many) shrines here in Japan. Usa shrine is just a few minutes from Jo's house but is a truly spectacular sight to see. Designated as a national teasure this shinto shrine is the head shrine of 40,000 located across the country (according to the badly written English brochure).
On the way in you walk through a massive bright orange tori gate before arriving at a pool of water which you are supposed to cleanse your hands at by dipping the cup made of bamboo into the water and then pouring it over your hands. 
From there you walk through beautiful maple trees, up far too many steps for the summer heat and up to the shrine itself. Nathan had a go at clapping twice, bowing and then saying his pray... but not before throwing a handful of coins into the front of the shrine. After slow amble (it was too hot to manage anything else) we walked back down and found the nearest vending machine for something to cool us down. All in all it was a great way to mark the start of our sightseeing!
From there you walk through beautiful maple trees, up far too many steps for the summer heat and up to the shrine itself. Nathan had a go at clapping twice, bowing and then saying his pray... but not before throwing a handful of coins into the front of the shrine. After slow amble (it was too hot to manage anything else) we walked back down and found the nearest vending machine for something to cool us down. All in all it was a great way to mark the start of our sightseeing!
3 comments:
Who wrote this? I thought meg was sposed to be red - or is Nathan just writing in the third person? Either way I'm confused - get it together guys - Jeez! As for Usa shrine - it really is a serene place - i have photographic evidence that we saw a snake when i went there!
My bad...it was meant to be in red but somehow came out blue!
I've discovered I'm ultra paranoid about snakes!
Tell TG a frog landed on my foot the other day... as in my bare foot!
Frogs,snakes...all sounds horrid.
Good to see nathan looking so tuned in.
Even I've been to that shrine!Dawn
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