Daniel Trapero RTGAmbassador Barrels with actual Sake inside of them are donated to the shrine every year and offered to the Shinto deities. At last, at the end of the path is the shrine itself. There is a section where visitors must rinse their hands and mouth with water from a special fountain to enter the shrine in a purified manner. The main hall, which is the most sacred place in the site, has limited access. You can get a glimpse at it by offering a coin and bowing twice, clapping your hands twice, reciting a prayer in your mind, bowing again, and clapping your hands a final time. During our visit to this place on March 10th, 2024, we were lucky enough to witness the procession of a traditional Japanese wedding. Some parts of Shinto weddings, like the procession, are witnessed by the visitors. The procession is led by a Shinto priest, the bride and the groom, and their families and close friends, as well as shrine maidens. Sake is used at some point in the ceremony, but we were not able to see that part of the ritual. This was one of the many places of significance that we visited during our stay in Japan, and in my own words, I can only describe it as a breath of fresh air and a truly wonderful sight. I even purchased my own booklet to obtain the shrine's unique stamp for my collection. It was quite a nice welcome experience to Japan and its culture and historical places.
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