Kawagoe Kumano Shrine
Unfortunately it was pretty damp when I arrived at Kawagoe. The first thing I did after heading to the guest house to drop off my bags, was head to the shrine. This is a very important location in the anime, as Kotarou goes here almost every day after school to practice his “dancing” for the Kawagoe festival and prays for Akane with her running. The book shop is also just round the corner.
This is the entrance to the shrine.
Another shot from a different angle
On another occasion while passing by, I found these people with their shoes off walking along the edges of the entrance path.
According to the owner of the guest house, this is like some sort of foot massage, and walking along these paths presses on pressure points on the feet and can help to cure illnesses. And even if it doesn’t actually work it’s still a lot of fun 🙂
For this shot, unfortunately the lanterns in the screenshot weren’t up. The tables have also gained some shelter due to the drizzle at the time.
This is where you can see Kotarou clean his hands and rinse his mouth. Apparently the way you’re supposed to do it is far more extensive, but the general public don’t bother with it.
A few shots of the shrine itself. The big grey building in the background is probably newly built.
Just to the left out of the last shot is where Kotarou has his dance practice.
Round the back of the shrine is where Kotarou confesses to Akane, which made me want to curl up into a ball and scream like a little girl when watching. So this is what the Japanese mean by “doki doki”. Unfortunately it was barred off so I couldn’t get the front-on shot.
Just outside of the shrine entrance up the road is where Kotarou walks to go to the book shop.
I returned here later for a night shot.
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