Mikami Shrine
御上神社
A Shinto shrine where you can watch everyday Japanese ritual up close.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons — click any image for the photographer and licence.
What this place is
Mikami Shrine (御上神社, Mikami Jinja) is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The kami worshipped at this shrine is Ame-no-mikage-no-mikoto, Amaterasu's grandson, who in legend, descended onto 432-meter Mount Mikami during the reign of Emperor Kōrei (290 - 215 BC) to become the shintai of the mountain.
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Why it is worth the trip
- Torii gates marking the boundary between the everyday world and the sacred grounds beyond.
- A main hall in classic Shinto carpentry, often surrounded by centuries-old trees kept as sacred forest.
- Seasonal rites, wedding processions and festival floats that make the place feel lived-in rather than museum-like.
What you can do here
- Purify your hands and mouth at the temizuya, then offer a coin, bow twice, clap twice, bow once.
- Draw an omikuji fortune slip and tie it on the rack if the prediction is unlucky.
- Collect a goshuin — a hand-brushed seal and calligraphy — in a dedicated stamp book.
- Buy an omamori charm chosen for travel safety, study, love or health.
Getting there
We do not have step-by-step transit directions for this spot yet. Open the location on Google Maps for routes from where you are staying.
Good to know before you go
- Walk to the side of the central path; the middle is traditionally left for the deity.
- Photography is usually fine outdoors but often prohibited inside the main hall.
- Grounds are typically open from dawn to dusk even when the office closes at 16:30–17:00.
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