Worshippers at the Shiba Dai-Jingu Shrine lined up in a row along the stair-stepped approach

Worshippers at the Shiba Dai-Jingu lined up on the stairs — Worshippers lined up at Shiba Dai-Jingu Shrine in Tokyo

When I come to Shiba, I tend to be distracted by the towering Tokyo Tower and Zojo-ji Temple that sits at its feet, but there is also a shrine in Shiba that boasts a history of over 1000 years. If you just walk along the main street, you won't see the forest of the shrine, and you won't see the torii gate, but there is a shrine that sits quietly in the middle of a dense area of buildings. I'm the only one who tends to forget its existence, but among the people who live and work in this area, it may have a big presence.

In fact, it's only me who tends to forget its existence, but the Shiba Dai-jingu Shrine I came to was filled with people who, unlike me, respect it regularly. There was a line of worshippers, though not an overflowing one, on the stairs leading to the shrine beyond the white torii gate. It was close to the end of the year, so some people were making their year-end pilgrimage, while others were making their first visit before the new year. In any case, most people must be familiar with Shiba Dai-jingu Shrine regularly.

As I was looking at the line of worshippers, a woman stopped by the side of the torii pillar and bowed deeply to the shrine.

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