This is my first trip to Nagoya.
JAL used to fly the sin crews on this flight 10 years ago whereby they used to stay here for 3 nights.
And after 10 years, they return this flight to us.
Yesterday I asked a Japanese colleague about what we could do here and what was Nagoya famous for as I am totally foreign to this part of Japan.
She told me that every year, the royal family would make a trip here to visit the very famous shrine in Jingu.
She asked me if I would like to join her as she would be visiting the place and it would also be a first for her.
I am so lucky, for this trip to the shrine would be impossible without a Japanese.
She told me that in the ancient times, every Japanese would try to go to Jingu once in their lifetime.
And with no means of transportation, they would take 2-3 months of journey before they finally reach Jingu.
But that's not all to my luck, as I also found out that she was a believer of the Japanese Gods.
She was also kind enough to let us experience the process of a Japanese ritual in the shrine, with a reasonable amount of contribution to the shrine.
The air in the shrine was simply wonderful.
The trees were the most beautiful ones I have seen and it made me wonder how old they were.
We visited both Naiku and Geku.
These 2 shrines go way back to almost 2000 years ago.
NAIKU: Amaterasu Omikami who is the ancestral kami of the Imperial Family and the tutelary diety of the Japanese people is enshrined here at Naiku. She left the Imperial Palace about 2000 years ago in the era of Emperor Sujin, and was enshrined here at the Isuzu River after she visited many places in Japan.
GEKU: Toyouke Omikami is enshrined here at Geku. She was called from the Tanba region to this Yamadahara region of Watarai by the order of Amaterasu Omikami about 1500 years ago. She is the kami to offer the sacred food to Amaterasu Omikami and also is the kami who protects all industries that support our life.
An eye opener trip :)
