One of the things that I was able to experience within the first week of arriving in my actual placement city was a local shrine. This particular shrine, Suwajinjya (it seems many Japanese cities have one of these shrines), is a beautiful reprieve hidden away between tightly crowded buildings and their shops. This is a particularly interesting shrine due to the shrine’s proximity to the once bustling city shopping arcade which is now comparable to a ghost town, especially at night. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, having been placed in one of Japan’s most rapidly depopulating areas, but nonetheless it always makes me think. Shops still open in the arcade during the day with a steady trickle of customers, but the sight always inspires me to think on what it was before in its heyday. In spite of the fact that the shopping arcade fell into disrepair and disuse, the shrine is well-known and continues to thrive. Anyway, having always been a fan of the calm and serene appearance of shrines, I was very excited to see this one in the main city in such an interesting location. Though a small shrine, it has quite a bit of character and is very well tended at all times.  More local shrine highlights to come! :)