A guide to Japan's Shinto Shrines
Shinto shrines (in Japanese – Jinja 神社) are places of worship and the dwellings of the gods.
People visit shrines in order to pay respect to the gods or to pray for good fortune.
Each shrine feels like world onto itself, full to the brim with spirituality, history, ritual, and an unique atmosphere
Shinto shrine has important role in part of daily life and special events such as New Year, Setsubun, Shichigosan and other festivals.
New born babies are traditionally brought to a shrine a few weeks after birth, and many couples hold their wedding ceremonies there.
Praying at a Shinto Shrine: Bow Twice, Clap Twice, Bow Once
A general steps when going to a shrine for praying is; throwing inside money, then bow twice, clap twice, make a wish, and last bow again.
Fortune telling – Omikuji
Drawn from a wooden box for a small offering to the shrine, functioning as some form of fortune lottery.
It doesn’t just tell you whether you will have good or bad luck in the future, but it also describes your various fortunes in detail, such as your luck in money, health, romantic relationships etc..
Lucky Charm – Omamori
In Japanese “omamori” (お守り, 御守) means “to protect” or “protection.”
You can find omamori of all types—including stickers, car window decals, keychains, phone straps etc..
With many design on such as Hello Kitty, Mickey Mouse, and popular anime characters.
Table of Contents
Best Shinto Shrine Around Japan
Below is a list of the best shinto shrine around Japan that we visited and recommend. Click on what you find interested for reading more.
Chugoku:
Itsukushima Shrine
Located in Hiroshima Prefecture.
The shrine has history of 1,400 years, and is a World Heritage Site.
It built over water, so during high tide, it looks like it is floating on the sea
Motonosumi Shrine
A beautiful shrine located in northern Yamaguchi Prefecture along the coast of the Sea of Japan.
It has 123 torii gates which makes it to be photogenic view.
Shikoku:
Takaya Shrine
Located in Kagawa Prefecture.
It stands on the peak of the 404-meter Mt. Inazumi. And also called the “torii to the sky” due to the photogenic and spectacular view .