The only shrine in Osawa, with a stone torii and a small hall in a grove of cedars. You make an offering, receive a slip of paper to write a wish on, tie it to the railing in front of the hall, and then ring the Wishing Bell in the Sky. From beside the bell you can see across the valley to the mountains.
This moment in the journey
The shrine and the Wishing Bell in the Sky
Let's go higher still. Treading on yellow ginkgo leaves, I followed the path through a grove of cedars. A stone torii stood among the trees, with a small shrine hall beyond. This is the village's only shrine, Shohachiman Shrine.
I made an offering and received a slip of paper to write a wish on. Along the railing in front of the hall hung rows of white papers, each tied with a wish. Tie your paper on, and ring the bell.
Beside a cedar trunk hung the bell, with a sign reading Wishing Bell in the Sky. Dong. The clear note carried out over the valley. Below, the mountains went on and on.
Watch this scene on YouTube3:33
More notes from this journey
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
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From: Lighting the kamado in a house in the sky
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Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
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Osawa, the village in the sky
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From: Lighting the kamado in a house in the sky
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
Shizuoka green tea
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From: Gifts of the sea in a town that looks out on Mt. Fuji
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From: Gifts of the sea in a town that looks out on Mt. Fuji
Numazu, Shizuoka
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From: Gifts of the sea in a town that looks out on Mt. Fuji
Numazu, Shizuoka
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From: Making sushi with a view of Mt. Fuji
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From: Gifts of the sea in a town that looks out on Mt. Fuji