Sarutahiko Shrine | Review by Holly

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.

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.