When I went to Provo, Utah it seemed that there was a chapel every mile or so. I never thought that there could be that many chapels in one little town. Well, Japan has a similar type architecture sprawled throughout the country.
In Japan, you simply have to travel for a mile or so and next thing you know you've run into a Shinto Shrine. In Japanese these are called:
神社
( じんじゃ / jinja )
This word is made out of the characters of "god" (神) and "society" or "company" (社). This may not be totally correct, but a good way to remember this word is to think that a jinja is where you go to be in "God's company".
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| "Mitanit Jinja" |
Honestly, if you travel any length of distance, in any direction, you will definitely bump into a jinja. What can you do at a jinja? It's simple. You just show reverence and pray. I'm sure there are occasions when one specifically shows up at a jinja to perform a special ritual, but for the most part people go to jinjas to ask for a blessing on their crops, jobs, families, etc. Its a place of meditation and wishing.
What should you do when you find yourself at a jinja? Well, just show respect. You don't have to believe in the Shinto faith, simply show respect and then keep moving forward...I'm sure there's another jinja just a block or three away anyways.
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| outside the jinja |
On a side note, there are many types of shrines, not all of them jinjas. They are named according to their size and purpose. Honestly, however, you can call them all jinjas and I don't think anyone would mind (don't call me on that ok).
It's my pleasure to show you more and more of Japan. Until next time! またね～
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