A Small Local Shrine, With Lots of Character in Toyota City (HDR Photo)

Wakamiya-Hachiman-sha 「Wakamiya-Hachiman Shrine, 若宮八幡社」 in south Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture is a small local shrine with a rustic worship hall. Surrounded by a small wooded grove, this shrine is an isle of green in an agricultural and industrial area.

The area around the shrine is called Shinbayashi and sits on the outskirts of Toyota City. The land here is mostly covered by rice fields, but also contains some industrial areas including part of the Toyota Motor Corporation manufacturing facilities.

Just a few blocks south is a major highway interchange, where two main expressways meet:

• Tōmei Expressway: One of Japan’s major routes, running from Tokyo (Japan’s biggest city) to Nagoya (Japan’s 3rd biggest city)
• Isewangan Expressway: Starting just north of here near the city center of Toyota, winding its way around Ise Bay into Mie Prefecture

See this shrine’s water purification pavilion covered in snow.