Watched the sun come up and ran/hiked to eight local shrines that deserve my gratitude for serving as meditation or celebration venues.

It was a good start to the year.

御嶽神社 Mitake Jinja
In our neighborhood festival, the kids’ omikoshi stops at this crooked but charming shrine. Kids have snacks and parents have beers.

白山神社 Hakusan Jinja
Our main neighborhood shrine. It includes a small mountain. The priest Komatsu-san is a lovely fellow who blessed our firehouse.

Forgot to snap a photo.

若宮八幡宮 Wakamiya Hachiman
The shrine for our old neighborhood and jikka. Tiny—doesn’t show on maps.

The plums are starting to bloom.

高尾天満宮 Takao Tenmangu
Nestled up a perfect path in a plum grove on the north slope of Mt Takao. In March it blooms divinely. In winter it’s exquisitely lonely and cold. Have had some great sits and thinks here.

高尾御室社 Takao Mimurosha
The main shrine of Ochiai neighborhood next to Mt. Takao—their festival is famous for going all night and getting rowdy. Same with the rough men who carry its omikoshi.

浅川金刀比羅神社 Asakawa Kotohira Jinja (Konpira-sama)
At the top of a small mountain above Takao Station area. One of their priestesses is from the US. Has monthly gatherings where anyone can come and meet new people on the mountain.

高尾天神社 Takao Tenjinsha

Overlooks the south side of Takao Station. Sugawara Michizane (Kankō-sama) watches over our town’s elementary, junior high, and yochien—he’s an education figure in history.

Lovely ice crystals along the sandō. And a tōryūmon for New Years.

熊野神社
Shrine of the neighborhood where my company is. Also a big part of our Ichou Festa. A really nice place to sit.

Unsung iridescent moss on the stone bench.

Postscript

I met only two people!

Also, each shrine received a crisp Noguchi, for the occasional One Cup I shall enjoy in their precincts, and to cover my bases with a critical mass of gods