This picturesque Shinto shrine with all of its red torri gates sits at the top of a hill looking out over the cute little town. I wish we could have had more time to explore the town, but we had a busy day ahead of us. One fact about the torri gates: only the shinto gods may pass under the center of the torri gates. Mere mortals may not pass by directly through the center, but to the sides.
This was the first time I had noticed this funny little garden statue. I learned they are called Tanuki. Tanuki are real animals that live in Japan and they look like a cross between a raccoon and a coyote. The garden statue variety are a sort of good luck charm. After I saw this little guy, I started noticing them everywhere! They are almost like a happy little buddha critter.
The boys thought this cute tiny shrine was a hoot. They love asking for coins to make a wish and throw into these little shrines. I should probably find out if that's actually what the Japanese people do with these.
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