Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine

A shrine famous on social media as a “Spiritual Place” and a “Gateway to another world”. This shrine worships Izanagi-no-Mikoto, Izanami-no-Mikoto, and Iwagimitai-Shogun as its deities. It is known by locals as “Gongen-San”. On the temple grounds, there is the “Nagi” for good luck in marriage and “Ugeto-Iwa” (Ugeto Stone) which is good for passing tests and winning things.

It is known as the stage for the 2011 animated film, “Hotarubi no Mori e (To the Forest of Firefly Lights)”, garnering many visitors as a popular site.

The shrine roads stretch between a lush forest of cedar trees, giving the illusion of stepping into a grandiose forest of the gods. There are more than 260 steep stone steps to the main pavilion atop the mountain. The stairs are decorated with approximately 100 lanterns on both sides. The torii gates, stone steps, and stone lanterns are covered in moss. The main road is a green, quiet world. The steps are as if a gateway to another world, look up and down to take magical photos. Climbing more from the simple shrine, is the Ugeto-Iwa, legend has it a demon kicked a hole into this stone.