Travel Journal - Japan: Visiting The Hokoku Shrine, Osaka

Hello good people on hive...  >edited by Canva I've just started my journey in Osaka, and there's so much to learn from Osaka, and after a few days of exploring Osaka, there's definitely something left behind: my heart. *LOL. Yup, I'm longing for Osaka right now. Osaka is a calm, quiet city, far from the bustling crowds, with clean air, clean places—although finding trash cans is incredibly difficult in Japan—and the skies are blue. Whatever it is about Osaka, it always makes me miss it… Let's get it! [//]:# (!worldmappin 34.68428 lat 135.52685 long d3scr) -------  So, this is a small part of my journey in Osaka. It's still in the same area as Osaka Castle, and a few meters away is the Hokoku Shrine gate. It's the most interesting spot because it's closely tied to Japanese beliefs. After enjoying the fresh air around Osaka Castle, I became curious about the crowds surrounding it. I initially wanted to skip it, but my tour guide said, "Just take a look; it's interesting and feels very traditional Japanese." Then I said, "Okay, let's try!" ------- **The Traditional Gate of Hokoku Shrine**  Well, this is the Traditional Gate of Hokoku Shrine, a shrine for the Shinto faith. I'm not sure why the shrine was so crowded at that time. People who wanted to pray at Hokoku Shrine began to queue and the queue almost passed this gate. But speaking of this gate, this is a gate that is usually a symbol of Japan. If you search for Japanese icons on the internet, then the shape of this gate—whether in 3G photos or cartoons, you will definitely find this gate. Its function is the same as other gates, as a sign that the area after the gate stands is Hokoku Shrine. Welcome to Hokoku Shrine… --------- **Statue Of Toyotomi Hideyoshi** ------ | https://images.ecency.com/DQmd5RumsBvVTgLpQ5PhMS9RCT5ocyAZWQhaee6LN69VouA/img_1599.jpg | https://images.ecency.com/DQmTzquUrB2wEqxz8VUUsqg7PvBFSnpquedRdM4f3LRifaD/img_1600.jpg | | ----| ----| Besides the gate, one thing caught my attention as I approached the shrine grounds. It was this large statue. It turned out to be a statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a Japanese leader who lead from the Sengoku period to the Azuchi-Momoyama period.  There is a purpose why the statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi located in the Osaka area, that is because He is an inspirational figure for the Japanese people because, before he lead Japan, he was an ordinary people from ordinary parents—he is the son of a farmer in Nakamura. ------ **Nagoshi no Ooharai** ----  And... this is thing attracted me the most. It's another unique thing of Hokoku Shrine is a large hole made of-what you call it, if same, it was made by wicker. It's called Nagoshi No Ooharai. This stuff is used for worship purposes. It's said that if you pass through this wicker, your sins will be forgiven. Yes, this is a Shinto ritual for the forgiveness of your sins. | https://images.ecency.com/DQmVEG9VRsNL2FymBaAfU5zJ14WzFn7nmqw1Uhtw12BqaSC/img_1589.jpg | https://images.ecency.com/DQmUkd9z6BfwRa3MyHBGCdfE5UjSWSQfh8GLhzpUgrvFQ9C/img_1592.jpg | | ----| ----| Visiting Osaka was one of the best thing of my trip to Japan. Unfortunately, limited time prevented me from exploring all of Japan's tourist destinations. My busy work schedule—even though I could travel anywhere—precluded me from exploring other parts of Osaka. However, my trip to Osaka isn't truly over yet. I'll share more about it in my next post. Hasta La Vista... ------- *Thanks in advance, to read my blog and hope you like my post!* *See you on the next post...* ----- ------- ----