On the beach of the city of Ise, right near the Meoto Iwa “wedded rocks”, there is a little shrine featuring a large number of statues representing… frogs. This unusual shrine is dedicated to Sarutahiko Ōkami, a kami who is guiding people into balance with the divine nature and at the same time a god for safety transportation.

But what’s with all these frogs? Well, because the Japanese word for frog - kaeru - is a homonym for the word meaning “return home", the frog became considered the messenger of Sarutahiko. So the shrine is surrounded by a lot of uniquely shaped (and quite funny) stone frogs and it also sells good luck charms for “safe return", of course, made in the shape of little frogs…

Okitama Shrine, Ise

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese Traditional Crafts - Gold leaf