One step at a time

We decided to travel to Minato today to go to Atago Shrine.  Located at the top of Atago hill, the famed shrine was first established in 1603.  Before it was encircled by skyscrapers, the shrine had a beautiful view of the surrounding area.  In fact, it is 26 meters (85 feet) above sea level, which is the highest natural elevation in the Tokyo metropolitan area.  It was used, in part, as a fire lookout back in the day.  Connected to this important work, the main shrine is dedicated to the God of Fire, Homusubi no Mikoto.  While the history is quite fascinating, we wanted to go climb the "stone steps to success".

People who want to go must climb 86 stairs in order to reach the shrine.  According to legend, a samurai rode his horse up the stairs to pick some plum blossoms that he later presented to the Shogun.  Getting the horse up and down the stairs was quite a feat, and is remembered as inspiration for anyone wishing to succeed at something difficult.  To reach any goal, one must be focused and have a lot of perseverance, just like that samurai did.

Standing at the bottom on the steps, they look pretty daunting, but it isn't bad to climb.

At the top, there is a lovely little shrine.  We were all gung ho to go say our prayers, until we saw the line.  With the number of people jammed into a long, winding line, we decided we would come back to pray on a different day.  Although it was a beautiful day, we didn't want to spend it standing in a super long line.

As we were leaving, I realized just how close we were to Tokyo Tower.  We could have easily visited here when we were living in temporary housing in Azabujuban!  There is a reason many say this is a hidden gem.  You wouldn't expect to see this fun shrine in a totally urban area just a 15 minute walk from Tokyo Tower.  But, then again, this is Japan and there are little surprises everywhere.