The grounds for this Inari Shrine are part of the Buddhist temple on Mount Takao formally known as Takao-san Yakuo-in Yuki-ji, and most commonly known as just Takaosan Yakuoin (高尾山薬王院). This place was supposedly established in 744 on the orders of Emperor Shomu as a base for Buddhism in eastern Japan. I have no way of knowing how long these torii and structures have been around, but I think it is safe to say that they are much more recent creations. This shrine has more Shinto characteristics than Buddhist ones.

Posted on June 14th, 2012 under Japan. Tags: gohei, kitsune, Mt. Takao, shinto, torii. Comments Off on Inari Shrine at Yakuoin Temple on Mt. Takao

水稲荷神社

The white paper on this Shinto shrine is called gohei (御幣). The bells are rung to summon the gods. The kanji written on the bell pulls say Asukai (飛鳥井). I’m not sure of the significance.

This shrine dates back to 941, but, like many shrines in post-WW2 Japan, 水稲荷神社 has been moved from its original location. Mizu Inari Jinja has been in its current location (between Waseda University and Kansenen Park) since 1963.

Posted on December 4th, 2011 under Japan. Tags: gohei, nishi-waseda, shimenawa, shinto. Comments: 1

We’ve been in Japan for two months now. I remember on those first couple of days thinking that I should immediately take lots of pictures of interesting things in our neighborhood as they would soon become so common in my head that I would forget how curious they are to someone not living here. For whatever reason, I didn’t take those photos and now I can’t remember what those things were. As I originally thought, my immediate surroundings have become too familiar and are no longer strange.

On my walk to Waseda University I pass the above home. It is just around the corner from our apartment. While you may think that Tokyo is all high-rise apartment buildings, there are actually many neighborhoods with few such buildings. Ours is one of them.

The lady who lives in the above home is frequently out watering her plants or chatting with her neighbors. On this morning she is airing her futons, which is a common sight when the weather is nice.

A close up of some of her plants and flowers revels that Mrs. Uchida has won an award. If you can read Japanese click on the above photo to see her award for flowers and greenery.

When a matsuri is going to happen in the neighborhood these lanterns and gohei line the streets.

The streets of Japan, even a big city like Tokyo, are usually spotless and would be very aesthetically pleasing were it not for the power lines that obstruct and foul the view. Maybe one of these days they will be put underground.

Here is a rare camera angle that actually was able to capture a bit of Tokyo without any wires. This home doesn’t look very Tokyoish. It looks more like one you could find in Denmark or other parts of Europe. Our neighborhood has many such “different” homes. I’ll show you some more in later posts.

Posted on October 14th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: buildings, gohei, lanterns, nishi-waseda, Tokyo. Comments: 5