A worshipper at Himonya Hachimangu Shrine prays in front of an offertory box covered with a white cloth

I couldn't fully enjoy the buoyant mood peculiar to the first visit of the year to the temple after paying a visit to Enyu-ji Temple, so I decided to go to a Shinto shrine this time to satisfy my lack. I went to Himonya Hachimangu Shrine, not far from Enyu-ji Temple.

The atmosphere of Himonya Hachimangu Shrine was different from that of Enyu-ji Temple from the moment I walked along the approach. There were a few food stalls, creating a slightly different atmosphere. As I walked through the stalls, I found myself at the end of the line. Even if you don't want to go to a Tendai temple for Hatsumode, there are many people who want to go to Himonya Hachimangu Shrine, the local Shinto shrine, and there was a line of people waiting for their turn to pray. It was the complete opposite of the empty Enyu-ji Temple. This is how a New Year's visit should be.

I lined up at the back of the line, but the line didn't move very fast. It took a long time for each person to pay their respects. Maybe it's because of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe it's because of the recession, but the number of things each person has to ask of the gods is increasing. I want the plague to go away, I want my family to be healthy, I don't want to get into a traffic accident, I want my work to go well, and I don't want to be short of money. In that light, I had a lot of things I wanted to ask for, too.

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