Our 193rd entry in this blog is our trip to Nara’s Kasuga Taisha. This is Nara’s most celebrated shrine. Walking towards the shrine is so relaxing even when our feet is killing us from the whole day of non-stop walking. The path to the shrine is totally surrounded by bright green trees and sounds of birds 🙂

Kasuga Taisha was established at the same time as the capital and is dedicated to the deity responsible for the protection of the city. It was also the tutelary shrine of the Fujiwara, Japan’s most powerful family clan during most of the Nara and Heian Periods. Kasuga Taisha had been periodically rebuilt every 20 years for many centuries.

Even with the luscious green forest surrounding the area, you can still find vending machines, toilets, and even gachapons, or as Sai calls it, the gumball machines.

Beyond the shrine’s offering hall, which can be visited free of charge, there is a paid inner area which provides a closer view of the shrine’s inner buildings. Furthest in is the main sanctuary, containing multiple shrine buildings that display the distinctive Kasuga style of shrine architecture, characterized by a sloping roof extending over the front of the building.

Kasuga Taisha is famous for its lanterns, which have been donated by worshipers. Hundreds of bronze lanterns can be found hanging from the buildings, while as many stone lanterns line its approaches. The lanterns are only lit twice a year during two Lantern Festivals, one in early February and one in mid August.

There are many smaller auxiliary shrines in the woods around Kasuga Taisha, twelve of which are located along a path past the main shrine complex and are dedicated to the twelve lucky gods.

The shrine grounds also contain the Kasuga Taisha Museum, a treasure hall near the main complex which displays some of the shrine’s relics. These include two sets of large ornate drums. Additionally, the Kasuga Primeval Forest, a sacred old-growth forest belonging to the shrine, covers the mountain behind Kasuga Taisha, however, it is closed to the public.