Suwa Taisha Shimosha Akimiya — Attraction in Shimosuwa

During the summer event, held alongside the fireworks festival, the shrine stayed open into the night to welcome visitors for prayer. The entire shrine was illuminated with colourful LED lights, creating a magical glow. Four tall, straight trees stood at each corner, like silent guardians watching over the grounds.

At the heart of the shrine, people queued patiently to worship and offer their prayers. We arrived a little late, so we missed the orchestra performance and the night market stalls. Still, we were warmly greeted by the staff and received a beautifully decorated paper fan, crafted with great quality. On the far side, there was also a small shop selling souvenirs such as lucky charms.

To the right of the shrine, a narrow path was lined with candle-lit wishes from lovers, hoping for a fruitful relationship. Many had written their hopes on small plaques and hung them along the wooden fence. It was such a beautiful tradition — one I truly hope continues for longer than just a single week. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this...

Suwa Taisha Akimiya is located northeast of Suwa Taisha Honmiya across Lake Suwa. As soon as you enter through the torii gate, you will encounter the 800-year-old "Neiri Cedar". Further inside is a magnificent Kagura hall protected by two gigantic "Komainu" (pillars), with a huge shimenawa rope that will catch your eye. Behind that is the Heihaiden (worship hall), and just like the Honmiya, the Honden (main hall) is made out of nature itself. There are onbashira (pillars) on all four sides of the Heihaiden (worship hall), but you can only touch two of them. You can experience the dynamism of the "Komainu" and the...

Shimosha Akimiya was the first place to visit the four Suwa Taisha shrines. Get off at Nagoya Station and fly a rental car for 4 hours. I managed to reach Akimiya while being stuck in a traffic jam. It was impressive that the mirror was enshrined in the center of each of the four shrines. Is there a name for it? I will investigate. (There was a hot spring (?!) coming out of the dragon's mouth in the precincts!) However, it was a pity that the approach to the shrine was surprisingly deserted. There was also free parking inside. "It's difficult to eat eel due to the traffic jam and the time we have to go to Shisha." I'm sorry. (On the way back from Nagoya Station, I spurred on the hitsumabushi of the soaring price of Shirakawa!) 諏訪大社四社まいりの最初は、下社 秋宮でした。名古屋駅で下車して、レンタカーを飛ばすこと4時間。渋滞に巻き込まれながら、なんとか秋宮に到着しました。四社ともに中央に鏡が鎮座していたのが印象的でした。何か謂れがあるのでしょうか？調べてみます。（境内で龍の口から温泉（？！）が出ていました！）ただ参道が意外に寂れていたのが、残念でした。無料駐車場は境内にもありました。　渋滞を経て、四社まいりですので、時間的にうなぎを食することも難しくなりました。残念です。（帰りの名古屋駅でお値段高騰の「しらかわ」のひつまぶしを奮発しました！）

＊JR中央線下諏訪駅の東北約１ｋｍ、春宮からも東へほぼ１ｋｍの地点で、旧中仙道と甲州街道の分岐点の要所に鎮座しています。...