Atsuta Jingu & Famous Hitsumabushi in Nagoya
After dropping off our luggage at the hotel and catching our breath, my body and mind felt so much lighter. Grabbing just my wallet and camera, we set off for Atsuta Jingu (Atsuta Shrine) to eat hitsumabushi (grilled eel over rice), the highlight of today. Hitsumabushi was the dish I wanted to try the most even before coming here, so I was excited from the moment we left just thinking about eating it.
Like true travelers, we decided to take the subway. Walking straight out of the hotel, we crossed three crosswalks, turned left at the fourth traffic light, and walked about 50 meters to find Exit 2 of Fushimi Station. The streets were well-maintained and it was close by, making it easy to find.
Despite it being way past mealtime, there were so many people waiting. I never imagined people would be waiting outside on such a cold day. I went inside to put our names down, only to find the waiting room completely packed. To think all these people were standing outside because there was no room inside... At a glance, there were about 30 groups ahead of us.
We were hungry, but we put our names on the list and decided to look around Atsuta Jingu for a bit.
To be exact, Atsuta Horaiken is located in front of Atsuta Jingu. Anyone who has read the novel Taiko or has even the slightest interest in Japanese history will know Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (everyone definitely knows him), and Tokugawa Ieyasu. All three of them visited this shrine, and Nobunaga in particular is famous for building a mud wall here after winning the Battle of Okehazama. (Winning that battle was an unbelievable feat, after all...) It's a very old place that frequently appears in history books. While Nagoya Castle burned down and had to be rebuilt, this shrine wasn't bombed and remains well-preserved. It's not a fake attraction that was recently built but claims to be ancient, like Nagoya Castle or Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju.
Even with all this historical importance, we weren't particularly interested in Japanese shrines. We were just hungry with nothing to do, so we figured we'd drop by for a quick stroll. However, the trees caught our eyes even more than the buildings, making it such a great place for a walk that we decided to go all the way to the end.
Since I don't speak any Japanese, I had no idea what this place was for. It was just a quiet spot, and seeing people praying so earnestly gave the shrine a very peaceful atmosphere. It's the kind of quiet place where even people of other religions can go and leave their stress behind.
It looked like there was a specific way to pray, and I thought about copying them, but I didn't know the steps or which god it was for, so I just took pictures instead. Looking at the photos now, I realize I didn't clean my lens...
Oh!! It's time!! Let's go eat!!