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Blessings from Nikko Toshogu Shrine
Nikko was a place I looked forward to visiting. Unfortunately, as some of you already know from my blog, I had a rather subpar experience with Nikko. When I was in Japan again, I thought about giving Nikko a second chance however destiny seemed to have other plans for me. The day I was en route to Nikko, I ended up not transferring trains so that on a whim, I could visit and experience Sendai. Honestly, I can’t be any happier about that last minute change of plans as Sendai was such a breath of fresh air for me.
As disappointing as Nikko was, I must say that something good did come out of my trip. At Nikko’s Toshogu Shrine, I got blessed by a Shinto priest. More on this in a moment.
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The Forgotten Shrine in Matsushiro
Peace, tranquility and alone time. These are the things I want right now. As much as I’d love to get up and fly to a remote island, I just can’t do that right now. Okay, so if a colleague of mine’s can go to England, I suppose I can go somewhere, but would I? I wouldn’t. For as long as the coronavirus exists, I will not have the nerve to risk myself and others to the coronavirus for the sake of having a so-called good time. I think it’s selfish, yet at the same time, I understand why people have this desire to get away. It’s a coping mechanism from the craziness that revolves around covid. Either that or they’re just in denial that covid exists and feel entitled to enjoying life as they please.
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Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
In Kyoto, there’s a shrine that’s super popular, open 24 hours and free. It’s popular thanks to its many tori. Chances are high you’ve come across photos of famous instagrammers in front of the famed red gates (tori) before.
Nothing wrong with that but it does make Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine rather crowded.