Yakyu Inari Hatsumode – In 2020, we practiced Hatsumode at Yakyu Inari in Higashimatsuyama. It had been a few years since we had been there over the New Year and I was quite surprised by how much the crowds had increased in those years. For an explanation about Hatsumode, andRead More →
Kitain Hatsumode – Hatsumode is the first visit to, and homage at, a temple or shrine. It is a traditional New Year’s tradition. Kitain is a popular place for Hatsumode as the temple is known for family safety, traffic safety, personal safety and healing. The Kitain Hatsumode is from JanuaryRead More →
Kanasana Shrine is a rare type of shrine that preserves koshinto, the old form of shinto worship. At Kanasana they venerate the entire mountain, Mt Mitake, as a God in the back of the worship hall. Supposedly there are only three shrines of this kind in all of Japan. Also,Read More →
Hachimangu is one of several shrines in Kawagoe with a long rich history. It is a “ichinomiya” meaning it was the first shrine of the Hachimangu sect in Kawagoe. (There are older shrines, such as Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, in Kawagoe). Kawagoe Hachimangu was founded in 1030 A.D. by Minamoto Yorinobu.Read More →
The Japanese New Year tradition of Hatsumode – Hatsumode is the first visit of the year to a shrine or a temple, an important and much practiced tradition of new year celebrations in Japan. There are many shrines and also temples all around Saitama where you can practise Hatsumode. TechnicallyRead More →