long way down (up?) 3

Posted by e. (New York, NY, United States) on 25 April 2008 in Architecture.

Rumor has it that Princess Akishino went on a pilgrimage to 熊野那智大社/Kumano Nachi Taisha (Grand Shrine) to pray for a boy, since the Japanese royal family was in a crisis from lack of a male heir. Shortly thereafter, she was proclaimed pregnant with a male. As a result, Nachi Taisha has gained a huge popularity as a pilgrimage site.

One of the features of this shrine is the 473 steps one must ascend in order to reach the shrine. Shown here is the last leg before the torii marking the entrance. I wasn't able to actually get any photos of the shrine because it was pouring rain, so I had to minimize the time my camera was out.

First long way down photo
Second long way down photo

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photo taken in Nachikatsuura, Japan on December 22, 2007.

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. - Albert Einstein

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. - Shawshank Redemption