Visiting Japan, Omiya Hachiman Shrine

If you're looking for a typical Japanese experience, but something a little less common that the usual must see in Japan list, and if you enjoy exploring the Japanese spirituality, you may like a day of "circuit pilgrimage".

A circuit pilgrimage in Japan (junrei or junpai) is a worshiping journey that includes several shrines and temples, planned for a single day or for longer trips. There are countless of such circuits, many of them just of local importance, but a few are really interesting travel experiences for the foreign visitor.

The most popular are the Shichifukujin (seven gods of good fortune) pilgrimage paths, but there are many others, like visits to seven torii or to 8 Hachiman shrines... and some are really long journeys, like the 88 temples Shikoku pilgrimage.
I experienced a few such walks and my favorite was a Shichifukujin tour, performed together with the locals during the first days of the year - I discovered a lot of new, interesting places!

But what I'm proposing you today is a journey to 8 important shrines from Tokyo - if you enjoy the Japanese traditions, it's an excellent travel experience. One of these shrines would be the Ōmiya Hachiman Shrine, the oldest shrine from Suginami City, established in 1063, photographed here on a hot summer day...
And as a plus, it's located right across the Suginami Animation Museum - so, if you want, you can get an assortment of cultural experiences...