Shrines (Amirali)

Recent news is excessively occupied with reports from various regions of the world, developing and developed, suffering from religious intolerance. Unlike these regions, Japan has been fortunate to maintain close to perfect religious diversity, which is one of its greatest achievement. And this is not hard to observe; in a small day tour, a foreigner may witness gigantic churches, mosques and shrines, sometimes all existing in the same region.

However, the majority of Buddhist and Shinto population means numerous shrines all around the country. And trust me; visiting these shrines is a Must-Do for a foreigner. You don’t necessarily need to be a believer to visit these shrines; the environment is enough to make you feel in a wonderland. Usually all shrines, but especially the chief ones, have a grand yet humble entrance with tall gates supported with wooden large wooden pillars. This is usually followed by a lush garden bearing well-maintained grass and trees. The ambience is calm and brings peace of mind- a perfect time to go after office work. It is easily distinguishable from modern construction bearing a commercial nature. On the contrary, these shrines make best use of natural light, surrounding itself with natural features.

Usually it is the architecture that is cool and worth admiring. Externally the shrines bear traditional architectural features usually from the Edo period. Walls are usually painted with artistic depiction of deities, culturally significant patterns and calligraphy. Today the era of industrialization has given a different dimension to architecture, but most of these shrines are decades old and most of them were constructed by local craftsmen. This makes one wonder of the extraordinary skills these craftsmen specialized in. Internally, the room is intricately decorated with golden and bright colors; it takes away the first visitor’s breath. It’s wonderful. The roof has gold hangings and the floor is usually covered with mats or stone. The experience looks amazing and awe-inspiring.

Visitors to these shrines vary; some visit daily, others weekly or occasionally. Yet others simply visit to admire the superior architecture in embodies. The coolest part is, every shrine is different in terms of its architectural surroundings. So visiting every new shrine brings with it a different experience. In short, if you visit Japan do NOT forget to visit various shrines and experience splendid, traditional architecture accompanied with a much-needed peace of mind.