【女ひとり旅】出雲大社が茨城に⁉ 笠間稲荷と巡る癒やしの神社と名物モンブランの旅

【女ひとり旅】出雲大社が茨城に⁉ 笠間稲荷と巡る癒やしの神社と名物モンブランの旅

Did you know Izumo Taisha Shrine is located in Ibaraki Prefecture? Today, I’m going on a shrine tour in Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Izumo Taisha Shrine is located around here. Starting from Fukuhara Station on the JR Mito Line, about two hours from Tokyo, it’s an unmanned station with a charming building. After a leisurely 10-minute stroll through a peaceful residential area, I finally see Izumo Taisha Shrine in Hitachi Province. Hitachi Province is pronounced “Hitachi no Kuni.” This shrine, which inherited the spirit of Izumo Taisha Shrine in Shimane Prefecture, is relatively new, having been founded on December 4, 1992. The grounds appear to be quite spacious. The first thing that caught my eye was a sculpture of a dragon rising into the sky. It was so powerful… I couldn’t help but stare at it. The large torii gate is made from Inada granite, a specialty of Kasama. The main deity is Okuninushi-no-Okami, the god of nation-building and matchmaking. It’s located on a small hill, so the views are spectacular. We purified ourselves at the chozuya ( purification fountain). Hitachinokuni Izumo Taisha. As we walked through the grounds, the worship hall came into view. The guardian lions were incredibly large and muscular. The large shimenawa (sacred rope), a hallmark of Izumo Taisha, is a whopping 16 meters long and weighs 6 tons. It’s apparently even larger than the Izumo Taisha shrine in Shimane Prefecture. The worship process involves two bows, four claps, and one bow. The ceiling painting in the worship hall, “Clouds of Hitachi,” is magnificent and dazzling. It’s painted on cedar boards with ink lacquer, gold leaf, and silver leaf. To the left of the worship hall is a statue of Okuninushi-no-Mikoto. He holds Sukunahikona-no-Kami, the deity who helped build the country. Looking up at the shimenawa, we saw how large it really is. Upon closer inspection, we noticed many coins stuck inside. The main hall is located behind the worship hall, so let’s go inside. It has an otherworldly atmosphere. The main hall, nestled quietly in the mountains, is built in the same grand shrine style as the main hall of Izumo Taisha Shrine, and is said to enshrine the deity, Okuninushi-no-Mikoto. Visitors can enter from the west side of the main hall. Behind the main hall is a cemetery for tree burials. I returned to the worship hall. The komainu (guardian lion dogs) were so cool I couldn’t help but stare at them lol. I thought there was a modern building, but it turned out to be the shrine office. I visited before 9:00, so it wasn’t open, but you can get a goshuin (temple seal) here, and there seems to be a rest area available. The mini shimenawa (sacred rope) at the entrance is cute. It’s a quiet, truly soothing place. Located within the grounds of Izumo Taisha Shrine in Hitachi Province, Ryuja Shrine enshrines the Dragon Snake God. The Dragon Snake God is said to be Okuninushi’s messenger and guardian deity against fire and water disasters. To reach Ryuja Shrine, you walk along a slightly long stone path. With each step, you feel as if your mind is becoming more balanced. Since 2025 is the Year of the Snake, perhaps it was fate that I was able to visit. Ryuuja-Jinjya Shrine. There’s another shrine within the grounds, Yakushin Shrine , which is said to be visited by many people praying for recovery from illness or injury. I saw the “pebbles” mentioned in the national anthem, Kimigayo. I prayed for health here. I highly recommend visiting Hitachi Province’s Izumo Taisha Shrine. JR Mito Line, Fukuhara → Kasama. It’s two train stops away from Kasama Station, and the station building has a shrine-like design. Speaking of Kasama, Kasama Inari is far more famous. Bus (Ibaraki Kotsu): Kasama Station → Inari Shrine. Apparently, I arrived on a festival day (> <). Lanterns lined the approach to the shrine. The chozuya (water purification fountain) was under construction, so it was a simple structure. Kasama Inari Shrine is one of Japan's three major Inari shrines, and was founded approximately 1,350 years ago. Its main deity is Ukanomitama-no-kami. As it's an Inari shrine, there are foxes everywhere. Kasama Inari Shrine has a unique vermilion color. It 's a subdued, unique shade, unlike the vibrant vermilion of other shrines. It's called Kasama Vermilion. Kasama Inari Shrine. Perhaps due to the large number of worshippers during festivals, worship is arranged quite close to the front of the worship hall. What caught my eye in the shrine grounds were two large wisteria trees with 400 years of history. Apparently, a magnificent curtain of flowers can be seen from late April to early May. Behind the worship hall is the main hall. The main hall is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan and features intricate carvings by master craftsmen from the Edo period. The subdued color of the aged wood accentuates the beauty of the carvings. Behind the main hall is a fox mound. Apparently, the foxes at Inari Shrine are not gods, but messengers of the gods. The foxes act as a bridge between worshippers and the gods. This is where Daikokuten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Shotokuden, is enshrined. Looking inside, I could see Daikokuten's figure. The sacred tree is a walnut tree. I wonder if these are walnuts? It was my first time seeing them. Kasama Inari Shrine may be small, but it has a lot to offer. It seems a festival has begun. I ate Kasama's local delicacy, walnut inari. Walnut inari is rare. Itadakimasu (excuse me for eating with my hands). The chopped walnuts mixed with the rice made for a delightful texture. Next, we headed to Kasama Roadside Station. Kasama Tourist Bus Inari Shrine → Kasama Roadside Station. We arrived in about 25 minutes. This roadside station opened in 2021, so it's still quite new. There were rows of chestnut trees and chestnut sculptures. Kasama is Japan's number one chestnut producing region, and when it comes to chestnuts, Mont Blanc is the best. So I came here to try the renowned Mont Blanc. La Kuri Chestnut. They had several chestnut-based sweets for sale, and I ordered the most popular item, the filo. It's a Mont Blanc that's so popular it sometimes sells out by mid-morning. Cappuccino: 400 yen, filo: 880 yen. Oh, it's garnished with salt. This Mont Blanc is actually filled with milk gelato. While it's usually cream, I chose gelato. It was cold and delicious! The chestnut's natural sweetness was exquisite. Next, I'll try it with salt. Wow, the chestnut's sweetness is enhanced, which is surprising. The chestnut paste on top was crumbly, with the texture of real chestnut. The gelato was refreshing, and it's easy to see why it's so popular. The latte art, which holds up well even when sipped, was amazing. I happened to look toward the store and saw a huge line! I was so glad I'd arrived at the right time! There were also Hitachi beef specialty shops and local ramen shops, all very popular. While I was there, I decided to check out the farm stand. It was in the building next to the food court. There were seasonal fruits and vegetables, of course, but also dried sweet potatoes, a specialty of Ibaraki, and an incredible variety of natto! . My trip continued after this, so I was only supposed to look around, but I couldn't resist buying some. There were also several Mont Blanc stalls at the food trucks outside, and it was as lively as a Mont Blanc festival. It looked like it would be fun to try different tastes. "Kasama Roadside Station" was covered in chestnuts. There are many Kasama ware kilns in Kasama, and it seems you can experience pottery making, but due to time constraints I gave up this time. I headed to JR Tomobe Station on the Kasama Tour Bus. Bye-bye Igaguri-chan. After this, I moved to Hitachi City and stayed at "Uno Misaki," the most difficult national guesthouse in Japan to book. I'll be sharing my stay in the next video, so please look forward to it. Thank you for watching until the end! Please subscribe, like, and comment on my channel.
島根だけじゃない！茨城にある常陸国出雲大社と日本三大稲荷・笠間稲荷神社をめぐる女ひとり旅Vlogです。笠間名物モンブランも登場します。