More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

Hayashi Kumano Shrine This was a completely unexpected site I visited while heading down towards the next pilgrimage temple, Rendaiji. From ...

Washio Atago Shrine Washio Atago Shrine sits atop a 68 meter  tall hill overlooking Fukuoka City. It is considered one of the top 3 of the 9...

  I came down Mount Kurokami along a walking trail and as it got closer to the base passed though an old, Hizen-style torii, indicating this...

  Matsubase is a small town in Kumamoto that I reached in the afternoon of my 45th day walking around Kyushu. Matsubase Shrine is the main s...

Ema 絵馬 Votive plaques, called ema in Japanese, were originally paintings of horses given to shrines with prayers. Nowadays they are most...

As I wander around Japan I notice that some areas seem to have a lot of shrines, and in some areas they are far less common. In the area...