Feel the summer breeze with wind chimes at Hikawa Shrine in Kawagoe

Just about an hour from Tokyo is Little Edo. Kawagoe is known for its many old, Japanese-style houses that line the streets making it very popular among Japanese as well as foreigners. The dark exteriors of the houses standing in a row take you straight back into the Edo Period. One of the attractions in this area is a shrine called Hikawa Jinja. The shrine is famous as a place for matchmaking and praying for love! This summer, you can enjoy a special event called Enmusubi Furin. Enmusubi (縁結び) means praying for blessings in love. Furin (風鈴) means wind chimes. Watch the video!

Enmusubi Furin (縁結び風鈴)

This event will be held from July 7 to September 9, 2018. The wind chimes hanging around the shrine, ringing in the wind create a very beautiful, summer feel.

Since there are many wind chimes, there are plenty of great photo spots! If you wear a yukata (summer kimono), it would be an ideal setting for taking memorable photos.

Each bell has a strip of paper on which you can write your wishes to find love or pray to be happy in your current relationships.

You can also walk through mini wind chime tunnels.

Watch the video here.

Hikawa Shrine is famous for this ema tunnel. You can check how many languages you can recognize! It's a lot of fun to see the things people wish for...

A unique talisman of this shrine shaped like a carp. You can pick your fortune (omikuji) by fishing out one of these. In Japanese, Koi (鯉) is the word for carp which is a homonym for the word, love, Koi (恋).

These wind chimes are lit up at night creating a warm, soft glow. Various areas around the shrine are also lit up at night so you we recommend you visit in the afternoon so that you can enjoy till late evening.

If Kawagoe is on your list, don't miss Hikawa Shrine and pray for LOVE ? Watch the video to see how beautiful this event is!

Details

Enmusubi Furin: July 7 - September 9, 2018 Koi Akari: August 1 - September 2, 2018 Hikaru Kawa: July 7 - September 9, 2018 Closest stations: Kawagoe, Hon-Kawagoe Map: https://goo.gl/maps/zhfyzhnjQkL2 Official website: http://www.hikawa-fuurin.jp/

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