Kirishima Shrine sits at the base of a volcano by the same name. It is located in Kagoshima, the prefecture next to Miyazaki. Rainy and overcast, it was the perfect weather for experiencing a place such as this. The entire thing was shrouded in mist, making it very mysterious and kind of mystical.
There were very few people at the shrine, and certainly no other foreigners. We walked up a huge set of steps and passed through a couple of big gates to view the shrine. When we arrived, we participated in ritual hand washing, which is meant to cleanse you before you visit the shrine.
In front of the shrine itself, we made an offering of a few yen and said a prayer. There’s a very specific way to do all of these things – clapping and bowing and such, so it was good that I had Luke to show me what to do.
There wasn’t much else to do at the shrine, as it was so overcast that we couldn’t really take advantage of the ocean views or anything like that. So we drove back to Miyakonojo and my jet lag really set in – sooooo tired and out of it!
After a quick nap, I attempted to rally for a night out with some of Luke’s friends.
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