Takayama Inari Shrine and Hirosaki Pagoda

You're all very lucky because you're getting two updates in one day! This post will be about a couple of place I have been lucky enough to visit this weekend.

Shrines in Japan

Before getting too far into this, I want to tell you all a little bit about shrines in Japan. At the entrance of a shrine or of sacred ground, there is a Torii gate. This marks that approach and entrance of a shrine.
Komainu are a pair of guardian dogs or lions that are often found on each side of a shrine's entrance. In the case of Inari shrines (shrines honoring the God Inari) these statues will be foxes instead, as the fox is seen as a messenger for Inari.
These shrines will also have Shimenawa, or straw ropes with white paper strips, hanging above them. This marks the boundary of something sacred.
The purification trough is found near the entrance as well. The water found here is used to purify your hands and mouth before approaching the main hall or shrine. You do this by taking the ladle provided, filling it with fresh water, and rinsing both hands. Start with your left hand, your right hand, then your mouth. Do NOT return any water from the ladle to the fountain and dispose of it beside it to the ground instead.
The main or offering hall is where you throw a coin into the offering box (usually 5 yen) and ring the large bell there to get the Kami's (God) attention. Then you bow twice, clap your hands twice, and bow again before praying.

Hirosaki's 5-story Pagoda

Yesterday, a few of us walked to the 5-story pagoda in Hirosaki. It was closed to the public by the time we got there but the shrine itself is always open and I was able to get a picture of the pagoda!



This is the first shrine I have ever been to. Thankfully I had studied up on Japanese shrines during my college capstone paper so I knew what to do but it was definitely still a momentous event! I am far from being a religious person but if there were one religion I could jive with, it would be Shintoism. The sacred feeling of this shrine put me at peace and the rhythm and ceremony of paying your respects to the shrine and its Kami brings a sense of thoughtfulness and tranquility.

Takayama Inari Shrine

Today, myself and 3 of the other Hirosaki ALTs took a trip to the Takayama Inari Shrine in Tsugaru City. This shrine is similar in appearance to the famous Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto but it is not as large.
The first building we passed was one where you could buy small fortunes and lucky, blessed) Omamori (or charms).

You can see the very thick shimenawa rope with its white paper strips here very clearly!

 
Here you can see one of the Komainu statues. There was another on the other side of the path, guarding the entrance into the shrine.


Here is a monk climbing the stairs to the shrine just past the Komainu statues. You can also see one of the small shimenawa ropes marking the entrance to sacred land.


A pair of fox statues guarded the foot of the staircase that led to all the torii gates. The Japanese believe that all living and non-living things have souls or awareness so you'll often see statues dressed up like this!


This is a picture of one of the shrines, as there are multiple within the compound. It is hard to see in the picture past the torii but there is a large, thick shimenawa rope hanging overhead and the two ropes you see hanging down are to ring the large bells. The offering box sits just at the top of the steps.


This was a long line of guardian statues. As you can see, they've all been given "clothing"! I thought it was sweet and very thoughtful that even the smallest of guardians was given something. Like the ones below. It is obviously old but this couple had one as well. There was also money (1 yen) being left on most of them. I left some behind for this cute couple as well as a few others as thanks for their jobs well done.


Finally!! What I'm sure you've all been waiting for:


This picture was taken from the top of the shrine's path. You can see how this shrine resembles the Fushimi Inari in Kyoto! The only difference is that there are less torii gates and they are not as big. It was still a beautiful sight to see.

Overall, though both of these shrines were different from each other in obvious ways, they were both wonderful experiences. Experiences I will definitely be having again! I hope you all enjoyed this update and please feel free to send along any questions you may have about Japan or shrines!