During our last trip to mainland Japan back in June 2018, we visited 7 cities including Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Fukuoka. On Day 4, after visiting the Himeji Castle, we rode the train back to Kobe for the afternoon. We explored Kobe Chinatown, walked around the Ikuta Shrine before having teppanyaki and heading back to our hotel in Osaka.
The Ikuta Shrine is one of the oldest shrines in Japan. It was built at the beginning of the 3rd century AD, which makes it about 1800 old. It was surrounded by forest until the 19th century and now it’s right in the middle of Downtown Kobe, but still has a small slice of nature in the back that’s considered a healing spot.
The shrine’s incredibly popular due to its association with the goddess of making connections. Wakahirume-no-Mikoto is the goddess of fabric, so in the same way that two threads are entwined together, she is worshiped for bringing people together. It is a power spot for love and relationships. There’s also a marriage fortune you can get when you moisten a paper fortune with water from a special fountain. I wish I had known about this when we visited!!
There are also over 10 smaller shrines that honor different gods. Among these: the god of sake making, the god of maritime transportation and traffic safety, the god of rice and thriving businesses, and more.
^ to the left of the first torii gate is this shrine honoring the god of maritime transportation and traffic safety ^
^^ picture instructions on how to worship at a Shinto shrine ^^
^^ first time seeing a rain chain on display!! They used to sell them at a store I worked at ^^
^^ the torii gates and shrine honoring Inari the god of rice. A tiny version of Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto ^^
^ these are the marriage fortunes I mentioned! You leave them tied at the shrine if they’re not so good fortunes ^
Ikuta Shrine
1 Chome-2-1 Shimoyamatedori,
Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0011, Japan
Hours: 8 AM-6:30 PM
Open Daily
See more from our trip: Dotonbori Street | Kiyomizudera Temple | Exploring Kobe + Cafe Freundlieb | Nunobiki Herb Garden | Himeji Castle | Kobe Chinatown | Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park | Hiroshima Castle + Gokoku Shrine | Miyajima Pt. 1 | Miyajima Pt. 2 | Fukuoka Castle Ruins + Ohori Park | Nanzo-in Temple + Tochoji Temple + Kushida Shrine |