Kanasana Shrine is a 1900 year old shrine in Saitama. It is a unique shrine in that it venerates the mountain rather than a religious artifact like most other shrines. The shrine is located in the mountain town of Kamikawa in Saitama Prefecture, but on the border of Gunma Prefecture. Within Saitama, it is one of the most famous places for 'hatsumode'.
The shrine is quiet for most of the year, but at New Year, it attracts thousands of visitors. People come to the shrine for "hatsumode", the first worship of the year. The event is held annually between January 1st and 3rd. It is particularly busy on the 3rd, because the nearby Daiko Fushoji Temple holds a Daruma market. The shrine normally opens from 9 am to 4 pm, but for the New Year period, the extended hours are from 8 am to 5 pm.
Getting there
By car: The shrine is about a 25 minute drive from the Honjo Kodama Interchange of the Kanetsu Expressway on national route 462.
By public transport: A bus goes from Honjo Station on the Takasaki Line. Take the Asahi bus bound for Kamiizumi Sogo Shisho-Mae and alight at the Shinjuku bus stop. The shrine is about a fifteen minute walk from the bus stop.
Lynda Hogan @lynda.hogan
Lynda has been in Japan for 20 years and blogging about Saitama on her personal blog insaitama.com for 14 of them. Despite its central location, just North of Tokyo, Saitama is still quite unknown to the international tourist, but frequented by domestic travelers. It is a great place to experien...
