unexpected solace - hie shrine

this time, lets go to something sacred. welcome to hie jinja, one of the prominent jinja in tokyo. a jinja is a shinto shrine and it usually houses a god according to shinto beliefs. i searched a bit and found out that the god housed in hie shrine is the god that

governs mountains and water, controls the earth and protects the growth and development of all things; in recent years, it has been revered as the god who wards off evil spirits, safe childbirth, marriage, prosperous business, and corporate fortune. 1

when you house such an important and powerful god, you must be that prominent of a shrine.

located at the heart of tokyo's government district of nagatacho lies this quaint shrine. after some intense decision making, politicians and lawmakers probably frequent here for guidance and atonement (for lack of a better term). but most specially, people would probably visit the place for family related matters as the god housed is also related to that.

the shrine, although smaller in size, is actually filled with lots of greenery. it is just amazing how japan keeps mini forests intact right beside concrete jungles. the contrast of gray and hard cement next to green and serene spaces hits different. the shrine even has an escalator(as seen below) to aid visitors uphill the main complex: a telltale sign that this shrine is well maintained and well funded.

we came here after our annual physical exam. after searching for things to do around the clinic, this location popped up as if telling me to ask for a favorable result from the gods. (sure indeed, the result was better than expected, but that is a different story). it was a weekday, expectedly quieter than usual and sure it was indeed. we had the place to ourselves. i couldn't help but marvel at the strong contrast of reds and golds.

with wide spaces, lots of people will be accommodated on hatsumoude or new-years-day pilgrimage. japanese people usually visit shrines on new year's day (until a week or so) for thanksgiving for the previous one and blessings for the coming one. this wide area would probably fit thousands of shrine goers.

hie shrine is also known for "senbon torii" or a line of those red tori gates found in shinto shrines. fushimi inari in kyoto more famous for those red gates. but, if you can't visit kyoto then here is your small version of "senbon torii". just be warned however, if you visit in summer then be prepared for mosquitoes. i was attacked by a scourge of mosquitoes. mosquitoes in japan are built different though; they don't fly of with simple swishes once they bite. i swatted a handful before deciding to finally leave. i only took this one photo of the red gates because of that.

there were also a couple more buildings in the complex but they were closed when we came. heard they contain swords and letters which were considered as national treasures.

here are some more details

Hie Shrine

2 Chome-10-5 Nagatacho, Chiyoda, Tokyo
opens at 6am to 5pm
external site

visit for corporate fortune! the power of the gods might even gift you a marriage, aid your childbirth, and present you a bouncing child.

as always, stay safe, AMPING!

(ps: photos taken by yours truly on a samsung s23 ultra phone. i had to do some simple post prod as the sky were gloomy when we visited. )

footnote:
1 https://www.hiejinja.net/about/