Temple Queues
New Year visit at the Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Jinja, one of the oldest and most important Shinto shrines in the Kanto region, tucked inside a surprisingly vast forest in Omiya. A long gravel approach lined with towering trees slows you down nicely, even if your mind is racing ahead. The shrine itself feels calm and dignified, rooted in centuries of ritual, while still very much part of everyday local life. At New Year, it becomes a focal point for fresh hopes, quiet prayers, and the soft chaos of crowds doing their best to start the year on good terms.
