The Geku (outer shrine) dates from the 5th century and honors Toyouke no Omikami, the god of human necessities like food, clothing and shelter. As I mentioned above, no one is allowed to go past or take photos inside the first gate (above far right). I didn't really mind so much, because just like at the Atsuta Jinja in Nagoya, the atmosphere in and around these shrines was, for me, the most special part. If you get there early in the morning before the crowds arrive, you can enjoy strolling and exploring in the cool, quiet, lush forest among the towering cedars. It can be quite a spiritual experience, I think. The Geku is a nice warm-up for the star attraction, the Naiku, and I headed there next.
The Naiku (inner shrine) is about 200 years older and is the formal home of Amaterasu no Omikami, the primary deity of the Shinto religion and the traditional ancestor of the Imperial family. Also it's significant since it houses one of the three sacred objects of the royal family, a mirror which has reportedly not been looked into for over a thousand years.
Naiku seems to get much more crowded than Geku so I would suggest avoiding weekends or holidays if you can. In the first part of the journey, you pass through the toori and cross a long cedar bridge, said to span the physical and spiritual worlds. From there you can see the beautiful Isuzu river that runs through the shrine environs.
Being such a oppressively hot day, it seemed irresistible to everyone (myself included) to take off the shoes and dangle their legs in the cool river water for a few minutes. A murmured "kimochi ii~" could be heard by those that ventured in. Even this little girl (with parents close by) curiously investigated the cause of everyone's grins : )
After leaving the wide, expansive views of the bridge and river area, the environment quickly changes back to the now-familiar dark, cool green forest. Here, there is also a bridge and the river finds its way to this point as well, but it's a totally different feeling. Mossy cedar-plank bridges, dewy leaves and glistening stone-steps form the approach to the main shrine (pic above, far right). No pics or entry inside here either, but I was fine to just soak in the forest's coolness on such a hot day. Very close by and just a few mintues walk is an lively, historic shopping area called Oharimachi.
Oharaimachi (and the more recent Okage yokocho) contrast the stillness and solemn feeling of the shrine area and a great way to recharge your batteries after some long walking most of the day. This edo-style shopping village has all the usual souvenir stuff you can find just about anywhere in Japan, but also some local specialty sweets and microbrews : ). I tried Maccha Kakigoori (green tea flavor shaved ice) for the first time while here (the pic above 2nd from left). It's pretty common summer treat like our water ice.
Another local specialty is akafuku which is anko (sweet red bean paste) with o-mochi (sweet glutenous rice) inside. It's a lot better than it sounds and it's veeeeery sweet, so eating while drinking some green tea (to add bitter taste) seems to balance well. Turns out they are best eaten after one day so if you bring them as omiyage (souvenirs), keep that in mind :P. Neat place to stroll around for a few hours and lots to eat and enjoy. Both shrines and the shopping area takes the better part of a day I think.
Well, overall great trip and really glad I went to visit. Starting the new contract from tomorrow, so I'm just glad to have been able to get a short summer trip in before getting busy. Alright, it's time to work! : /
