Dososhin Shrine
This is a bit of a different post, I'll be talking about my visit to a shrine kind of near where I go to school! A few weekends ago, I visited the Dososhin Shrine in Okamoto, Kobe. The shrine is situated at the base of hiking trails that span the mountain range behind the city of Kobe, perhaps serving as a place of prayer before one embarks upon a hike. I have observed shrines that may serve a similar function, notably one at the base of the hiking trail one takes to summit Mt. Rokko, also in Kobe. The trail to Dososhin can be seen after walking up the streets, following the slope of the hills, until one reaches the highest point and the street turns into a small walking path. The path runs alongside a ravine and is surrounded by trees. About 30m after entering the tree line, the path is flanked by two 地蔵（じぞう, jizoo) , which are statues of a bodhisattva, perhaps serving as protectors of hikers entering the path. The 地蔵 are also wearing bright red bibs, which ties into their role...