The other day, I went to Ise Shrine on its day off.
It takes about 6 hours by car from Tokyo.
As expected, a day trip is too hard,
On the first day, we departed in the evening and spent one night in Nagoya.
The next morning we headed for Ise Shrine at 4am.
This time, I went to see the sunrise at the torii gate at the entrance to the Inner Shrine of Ise Jingu Shrine, but...
Unfortunately it's cloudy.
It started to rain lightly when we left Nagoya, so I had a bad feeling about it.
Although it is not raining,
Ise Shrine, covered in thick clouds, seems unlikely to see the sunrise.
However, my main purpose is to make the annual visit to the shrine, so there's nothing I can do this time.
For the past few years, I have visited the shrine in pouring rain and ended up covered in mud.
It's much better than that.
Photography is prohibited inside the main hall, so we only took photos down the stairs.
Being able to come here every year,
I was grateful for all that I have now and headed home.
Even though the weather wasn't so great, my heart felt clear and refreshed.
When I come to Ise Shrine, I feel as if my soul is mysteriously cleansed.
This will be my last trip in 2024,
I was really glad to have been able to complete this regular event for me.
This year and next year,
To all the people who have supported us so far,
May this bring blessings, peace and happiness to many people.
Thank you for this year as well.
Have a happy new year!
