As you walk past shrines here in Japan in the beginning of summer, you may notice an additional structure–it’s the giant ring or hoop made of long wild grass that looks like it could be a portal to another dimension. Well, I assure you it’s no mysterious transportation device.
Known as a chinowa, it’s part of a summer purification ritual called nagoshi-no-harae where people walk through and around the hoop in a figure eight to rid impurities accumulated during the first half of the year and pray for good health in the upcoming second half.
You can witness this ritual at Shinagawa Shrine, located just a few minutes away from Shimbamba Station on the Keikyu Line. The shrine also has a mock Mt. Fuji, which is a small hill people can climb using the steep stone steps. Historically, Japanese people worshiped Mt. Fuji as a god, resulting in the construction of about 50 mock Mt. Fuji spots in Tokyo for those who could not climb the actual mountain. The story goes that these hills were built out of the same lava that flowed from Mt. Fuji, which allowed anybody who climbed it to feel as though they were in touch with the grace and might of the real mountain, albeit more than a hundred kilometers away in reality.
Shinagawa Shrine: https://en.japantravel.com/tokyo/shinagawa-shrine/5465
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/JAmmPbuv3UbvWaEX7