Holly 's page

I made a special trip to Hisaya-odori Park this time mainly to see the limited-time event held in collaboration with Nagoya’s popular chick-shaped pudding dessert, Piyorin. There was a large Piyorin-shaped installation featuring a transparent dome design, and visitors could walk right inside to take pictures. Taiwan has similar events, but being able to go inside was still pretty unusual and interesting. Many people took the opportunity to enter and take commemorative photos, so it was hard to get a shot of the chick without anyone inside.
Besides the event itself, the area around Hisaya-odori Park is also quite lively, with many well-known shops and restaurant brands nearby. If you enjoy shopping or looking for unique stores, it might be worth checking in advance to see which places nearby are worth visiting. While walking around this time, I unexpectedly came across the main HARBS store in Nagoya Sakae, which immediately brought back memories of the food. I hesitated and wondered whether I should go in, but when I saw the line outside, I decided to leave it for next time.
Hisaya-odori Park is also conveniently connected to the underground shopping area. Heading downstairs takes you into the Central Park underground mall. I also stopped by a used camera store that a friend had recommended before. There were so many restaurants in the underground mall that I didn’t know what to eat. This area is just as commercially vibrant as Tokyo.

I really liked the atmosphere of worship here.
Compared with Ise Jingu, Sarutahiko Shrine has relatively fewer worshippers. It may be less lively, but that makes it easier to appreciate the buildings and every corner of the grounds at your own pace. I was especially impressed by the uncommon octagonal designs found throughout the shrine and the main sanctuary built in the distinctive Satahiko-zukuri style, with its unique double-gabled roof.
This architectural style, which differs from the forms commonly seen at most shrines, gives the entire shrine a distinct character. The grounds also have places worth seeing, such as the Direction Stone, Takara Stone, and Sarume Shrine. The Direction Stone is one of the features most closely associated with the shrine, giving physical form to the main deity's role in guiding people and providing a more tangible way to pray for good fortune.
Sarume Shrine, meanwhile, represents beliefs related to the performing arts and the repose of spirits, which showed me that even within the grounds of a single shrine, you can learn about different aspects of Japanese Shinto culture.
Overall, this isn't a particularly large shrine, but it has many details worth taking the time to observe. If you're not in a hurry, you can explore it slowly. It's not far from the Inner Shrine and Okage Yokocho area and can be reached on foot, so you can include them together in your itinerary and experience the character of this rare shrine in Ise that isn't affiliated with Ise Jingu.

Otori Shrine is located in Zoshigaya, Tokyo, and has deep historical ties to Kishimojin Temple. Its main deity is Yamato Takeru, with Ukanomitama also enshrined here, and it is also the place where Ebisu, one of the Zoshigaya Seven Lucky Gods, is worshipped. The deity here was originally enshrined under the name “Sagi Myojin” within the grounds of Kishimojin Temple. It was moved during the Meiji period due to the order separating Shinto and Buddhism, gradually taking shape as the present-day Otori Shrine.
I stopped by Otori Shrine this time because of the Zoshigaya Handmade Market, but after actually walking inside, I unexpectedly came away with a good impression of the shrine itself. The handmade market happened to extend onto the shrine grounds during my visit, making it much livelier than usual, but there were still far fewer people than at Kishimojin Temple. Although the market extended onto the shrine grounds, there were fewer stalls here, and the works were more focused on floral art and handicrafts. I especially liked a Christmas wreath made with stained glass. It was delicate and had a very distinctive style.
The biggest surprise this time was unexpectedly seeing a chinowa ring being set up for the year-end purification ceremony. I knew there would be a chinowa ring in the summer, but I didn’t expect one at the end of the year. I paused for a moment when I saw the large ring woven from miscanthus reeds, then immediately took out my phone to double-check the correct way to walk through the “chinowa-kuguri.” After all, I had only done it before at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto, and enough time had passed that I had almost completely forgotten. Since it was such a rare opportunity, of course I quickly followed the instructions online and walked through it to cleanse myself of impurities.

I included Tokyo Daijingu Shrine in this trip mainly because it is quite well known among Tokyo’s shrines for finding love. It also has deep historical ties to Ise Jingu, so since I was already planning to visit Ise Jingu, I wanted to stop by here first and pray for good luck in love. I was also scheduled to attend a handicraft market in Zoshigaya that day, so after considering transportation and the direction of my itinerary, I decided to visit the shrine in the morning.
When I arrived, I found that the shrine grounds were a little smaller than I had imagined, but there were quite a lot of visitors. I also happened to see a couple holding a Shinto wedding ceremony that day, which was an unexpected bonus. There was a wide variety of love-themed omikuji, including basic love and matchmaking fortunes, as well as flower fortunes, blood type fortunes, and lucky matchmaking fortunes, so you can choose according to your preference. The shrine office also sold a wide selection of charms. The most famous is the “Enmusubi Suzuran Mamori,” but after looking for quite a while, I ultimately chose the “Enju Mamori,” which I personally preferred. The outer layer of this charm is made from a special cocoon silk, giving it a very delicate texture. It suited my taste better than the cute lily-of-the-valley charm.
There were also seats made from wooden posts next to the amulet office, allowing visitors to take a short break. It was a very thoughtful design. Perhaps because it was a holiday, there were consistently many visitors. By the time I was getting ready to leave, the line to pray at the main hall was several times longer than when I had arrived, showing just how popular this place really is.
One distinctive point is that although the shrine grounds are not large, the buildings are constructed in the shinmei-zukuri architectural style. The roofs and buildings themselves have a very strong presence, which made the space feel slightly oppressive to me. If buildings of the same scale were placed in a spacious setting like Ise Jingu, perhaps the feeling would not be as noticeable.
Also, my visit happened to be close to the Japanese New Year, and I unexpectedly saw craftspeople nearby making New Year’s pine decorations. It was my first time seeing the process of making this kind of traditional New Year’s decoration in person, and I found it quite interesting. Overall, the grounds of Tokyo Daijingu Shrine are not large, and around 20–40 minutes should be enough to pray, enjoy the surroundings, and shop for charms. If you happen to be planning an itinerary around Iidabashi, it may be worth stopping by.

The main reason I visited Okayama Castle this time was to attend a local sake event held inside the castle at night. You can take the streetcar to Shiroshita Station and then walk about 10 minutes to Okayama Castle. However, if you come at night, the route from Shiroshita Station to the castle isn’t particularly well lit. I found this stretch of the walk a little scary, and the lighting only noticeably increased after I actually entered the Okayama Castle and Ujo Park area. If you’re visiting at night, I recommend having your phone’s flashlight ready so you can at least feel safer while walking.
The castle tower you see at Okayama Castle today is a reconstruction. The original tower was destroyed in the 1945 air raid on Okayama and wasn’t rebuilt until 1966. Once inside, I felt it was more like a history museum themed around Okayama Castle. In addition to historical exhibits, there are also plenty of interactive activities and experiences, such as trying on samurai and princess costumes and riding in an Edo-period palanquin.
If you collect stamps from Japan’s 100 Famous Castles, you can get the Okayama Castle stamp here as well. The stamp is currently located near the reception area on the first basement floor. However, since it’s inside the paid area, you still need to purchase admission to use it. If you have the Okayama Enjoy Pass, you can use it here to redeem a package that includes admission to the Okayama Castle tower and a seasonal fruit parfait at Ujo Cafe.
However, rather than the castle tower itself, I found the truly interesting parts of Okayama Castle to be the remaining stone walls and castle ruins around it. The honmaru still has stone walls from different periods. You can see traces of the castle construction from the time of Ukita Hideie, sections left from later expansions by the Ikeda clan, and even excavated stone walls and markings left by stonemasons. Looking closely at the stone walls actually gives you a stronger sense of how Okayama Castle changed under different lords and through different eras. Compared with the reconstructed castle tower, I personally felt that these unassuming stone walls and ruins were more distinctive of Okayama Castle.