Spirited Away - Kashima
Temperature = 39 C
Food Eaten = Garlic/Yakiniku Rice bowl thing?
Taking a train out of Saga City towards the West will bring you to a station named Hizen-Kashima—the setting for today’s more spiritual adventure. It is no secret that I love all things folklore, spiritual, and ghostly. So it was about time I made a pilgrimage to Saga’s more famous shrine Kashima Jingu Shrine. This has been the setting for more than one C/K/J Romance drama. It is one of the more well-known spots within the prefecture.
This is perhaps, where you may feel as if you had stepped into a fairy story, one of the shrine deities and guardian Kitsune. My only regret for this trip was, that I was not adorned in a beautiful kimono to top off the vibe. However, I will be making a return journey, at some point, armed with a kimono and colder weather.
The shrine is simply breathtaking, it is the closest I have felt to being in a Studio Ghibli movie so far. There are many paths leading to the main track, however, do not follow them as you run the risk of being spirited away. The notion is charming but a stark warning. These are the pathways set aside for the dead.
A word of caution to those wanting to climb to the top but may not be an athlete, take the elevator. However, as this was my first time, I climbed it under the expert supervision of one of our area Advisors. Thank you for being an amazing company as I died on the climb. The view was worth the trouble. You can see far out to the Ariake Sea towards the mud flats, the location of another Famous Saga event. But that will be covered in the next entry.
Today’s entry is to do justice to this beautifully romantic shrine, many a drama has unfolded here and any fan of Romance will probably recognize the location. The pillars are slightly aged with time, glass windchimes adorn the lower tori gates, and they sound simply beautiful in the wind. I was lucky enough to catch on film the symphony they emitted and will be posting a separate video later.
One can feed the koi in the ponds, have a fortune drawn, or just pray to the local shrine deity. It will be a fond memory that sticks with me. Remembering how I felt when I finally made it to the top. Seeing my fortune be the best luck anyone could draw for romance felt perfect. For a shrine so dedicated to love stories, it only seemed right that a love fortune was drawn.
I fully recommend this place as one of the prettiest places within the prefecture and still have my eyes set on Arita. The porcelain palace.
Japan’s folklore is so rich in stories. Next rainy night, perhaps treat yourself to reading one of many stories before you head to sleep and pray that a cheeky deity does not spirit you away.
