Since this was my first trip to Japan, I decided that we should get all the touristy places out of the way. One of our first stops was Meiji Jingu, or Meiji Shrine.
The gravel path leading to the shrine was long but because the path was lined by trees and the weather was cool, we had a nice stroll.
When we were there, we were lucky enough to spot three wedding parties! I loved seeing the bride and groom dressed in the traditional outfits – they looked so elegant and beautiful.
We also saw lots of little children being blessed. They were so cute! It’s apparently a custom for children aged three, five or seven who are coming of age to be blessed by the priests at the shrine.
There was also some sort of procession going on when we got there. The priests were preceded by guards, who would clear the way and warn people to get out of their path.
At the shrine, we decided to spend 500-yen to buy an ema: a wooden tablet where you write your wishes or prayers. The ema is then hung at the shrine for the gods to receive them.
Despite the hordes of people at the shrine (we were there on a Sunday morning), there was still an air of serenity which was not dispelled. Exactly what we need on our holiday!
Did you see my ema board? LOL I wrote it last year Nov, and drew a silly rilakkuma on top. It’s probably not there anymore. Am lovin what you wore!
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I know these ema boards are like touristy gimicks but still did one anyway! š
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