jinja

Tokiwa shrine, Aomori, Hirosaki

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A small Shinto shrine in northern Honshu, Japan. An ancient shrine site, it celebrated the hunt and harvest. Aomori is the primary Apple growing region in Japan.

Entrance Torii (gate)
Secondary Torii
Torii gate going up to the main shrine platform
Torii gate and the main shrine
One of the two komainu (lion-dog or Fu-dog) statues
Uma (horse) statue. Horses get sake offerings!
The other komainu with a mini-komainu!
There were tiny frogs everywhere!
Mt. Iwaki came out for a little bit
I love the orchard-forest combination
Aomori apples!

Mitsumine Shrine

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Outside Chichibu in Saitama Prefecture, Japan and one of the few wolf (okami) shrines.

The main entry gate (torii) with wolf (okami) guardians.
The path and Zuishinmon gate leading to the main shrine.
Closer view of the Zuishinmon gate.
Wolf guardian. usually these statues are foxes (kitsune), especially at inari shrines celebrating the rice harvest.
Path up to the main shrine.
Another wolf guardian.
The main shrine and sacred trees.
Sacred trees.
Main shrine. When we visited the priest was performing a ritual so we heard taiko drumming and smelled cedar smoke.
Taken from the steps of the main shrine. The trees are just enormous.
Giant Ema (prayer board) with the okami (wolf) representing the shrine. Wolves represent protection against misfortune.
Smaller shrines on the grounds.
The foggy view from a smaller shrine on the mountainside.
Foggy trees on one of the hiking paths up the mountain.
Guardian in the fog.
The area near the shrine.
Taken on the road down from the shrine.
Obora River at the base of the mountain near the shrine.