A couple with plastic umbrellas crossed in front of the torii gate of Akiba Shrine

People crossing in front of Akiba Jinja Shrine
People crossing in front of Akiba Jinja Shrine
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When most people think of a prosperous area in Shinjuku, they probably think of the area between Shinjuku Station and Shinjuku 3-chome. However, when the new post station called Naito-Shinjuku was built, the center of the area was neither Shinjuku Station nor Shinjuku 3-chome. It was located toward Yotsuya, near Shinjuku Gyoen Garden, or Shinjuku 1-chome and 2-chome in today's address. As evidence of this, there are no old shrines or temples near Shinjuku Station today, but there are still temples in Shinjuku 1-chome and 2-chome that date back to the Edo period. Even though the locations of downtown areas change with the passage of time, the locations of shrines and temples do not change so much.

A small shrine that I found while walking along the old Koshu Kaido probably has been in this location for a long time. Nowadays, the small shrine stands in a small precinct sandwiched between large buildings. It was the Akiba Jinja Shrine dedicated to Kagutsuchi, the god of fire. Even though he is a fire god, Kagutsuchi is not the kind of god that sparks fire, but the kind of god that prevents fires. What is interesting is that, whether by design or by accident, a fire station stands next to the Akiba Jinja Shrine. The location next to Akiba Shrine is a perfect base for a firefighting organization.

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日本語
Jun 2022 PEOPLE TOKYO

PHOTO DATA

No

12312

Shooting Date

Apr 2022

Posted On

June 30, 2022

Modified On

August 12, 2023

Place

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Genre

Street Photography

Camera

SONY ALPHA 7R II

Lens

ZEISS LOXIA 2/35

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