8 Spiritual Spots
An article in Japan Today highlights in syncretic fashion eight special spiritual spots to visit in Japan. As well as Shinto shrines, there are Buddhist temples, Shugendo mountains and even an Indian...
View ArticleMatsuo Taisha statues
The following piece by George A. Keyworth is extracted from the beginning of a longer paper, annotated and with Japanese kanji for names. To see the original, please click here. On the ‘SHINTŌ’...
View ArticleOhara shrines
Pond garden at Jakko-in Just to the north of Kyoto, Ohara is a picturesque village with a traditional, rural feel. It’s known locally for its vegetables, but has a wider claim to fame as host to the...
View ArticleCovid crisis
The following is adapted from a Japan Times article, which can be accessed here, written by Alex K.T. Martin and dated March 20, 2021. It shows how the crisis is hitting the revenue of both shrines...
View ArticleMyth and Deity (Kamata Toji)
Book review of Myth and Deity in Japan (2009) by Kamata Toji (tr Gaynor Sekimori) For followers of Green Shinto, this is very nearly the perfect book! First of all, it is written by a leading scholar...
View ArticleExploring Shinto
This is a collection of sixteen wide-ranging papers, apparently on an ad hoc basis, written by some leading scholars in the field. Interestingly, individual chapters are available to be bought...
View ArticleConnections with Nature Pt 1
Alena Yushu Eckelmann – ‘Kii Monogatari‘ Alena with conch shell on Kumano Kodo 1) You are a guide in Wakayama Prefecture which contains the UNESCO World Heritage trails of Kumano Kodo. How long have...
View ArticleConnections with Nature Pt 2
This is a continuation of the interview with Alena Yushu Eckelmann. (For Part One click here.) 4) What does a typical spiritual tour consist of? Where could readers find out more, such as the price of...
View ArticleSpells and curses
The following article appeared in Gaijinpot and puts in coherent form the legends and traditions that one sometimes hears about when visiting shrines. The original written by Matthew Coslett appeared...
View ArticleOkinawa’s Zamami
As the days close in on a pandemic year, Okinawa continues to enchant with its ocean blues, golden sands and healing greens. It is the off-season so there are few around to distract from the immersion...
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