Hello, fellow travel lovers!
This time, I headed to a unique shrine in Tokorozawa, Saitama called Kojiya Hachimangu, and guess what? There's a huge Totoro statue waiting for you there!
I followed a narrow path, and suddenly—BAM! There it was, sitting in the parking lot... a giant brown creature that kinda looked like Totoro.
Wait... could that be... Totoro???
I couldn’t help but do a double take.
It’s a bit weathered, and standing there by the wetland, it’d be pretty creepy at night… but wow, it sure makes an impression!
Right across the street is Kojiya Hachimangu Shrine.
With Totoro in the corner of my eye, I crossed the road to the other side.
A grand torii gate and the cherry blossoms blooming beside it gave me a warm, peaceful feeling.
That little bit of spookiness I felt started to melt away in the gentle warmth of spring.
It felt like I had time-traveled to the past… until some cheerful student artwork brought me right back to the present.
Since I arrived early in the morning, the shrine grounds were completely empty.
It was so quiet, I almost felt like I’d warped back to the Showa era.
But then—bam! Some colorful signs suddenly caught my eye!
Turns out they were lucky zodiac artworks painted by art students—and just like that, I was snapped right back to reality (lol).
The purification fountain… was it low-key promoting hand sanitizer instead?
There was a hana-temizuya with floating flowers, but… was the water turned off?
For the germ-conscious folks, there’s hand sanitizer right next to it—go ahead and purify with that instead.。(I mean, I totally went with that option too.)
The Main Hall & the Power of Chainsaw Art!
As you walk further in, a calm and peaceful main hall comes into view.
And to the right... whoa!
A massive “descending dragon” carved from a single chainsaw stands boldly in place—this thing has serious presence!
Go even further back, and there’s a small shrine-like structure—and next to it, guess what…
A wooden statue of what looks like a traveler with a dog!?
Nearby, there was something that looked like a giant tree stump.
Could this be where the dragon was born...? My imagination started running wild.
In the end, why Totoro is here remains... a mystery.
I mean, why is Totoro at this shrine in the first place?
(Okay, I’ll admit it—I came here because of Totoro.)
But the shrine grounds are packed with blessings—zodiac charms, traffic safety, good fortune, you name it.
There must be something about this place that just draws people in.
It’s mysterious, a little surreal, but somehow heartwarming.
If this quirky little shrine piqued your interest, I totally recommend paying it a visit!
The journey continues... Wishing you all a wonderful trip! – TabiJun
＊＊TabiJun＊＊
