Ikebukuro Shrines in the Snow

Something local that would be nice to see in the snow? Shrines of course!  

So before going to the market, I stopped at Mitake and Kosodate Shrines. 

I had seen these shrines earlier in my trip, but seeing them again in the snow was delightful. 

Even prettier was Sanja Shrine. 

The iris japonica were still standing after the snowfall. 

And snow remained on the camelias.  

The pretty sakura tree also had a snow coating. 

Seeing the shrines in snow helped me decide where else I wanted to go. More of that in my next couple of posts. What I found was one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Japan.

Koyasu Inari Shrine

So many pretty flowers were in bloom. Like these ume plums.

Not far from Kami Ikebukuro Sakura Park is a Inari Shinto Shrine.

Walking through this quiet neighborhood I reached Koyatsu Inari Shrine, 子安稲荷神社.

Their ema were really cute. It is year of the rat and so they were also wishing everyone good luck with their design.

This shrine dates from at least the Tensho era (1573-91) if not earlier.

It is said that the shrine was established by a retainer of Tokogawa who lived in the area.

He was caught in a terrible thunderstorm with no protection.

An old man with a white beard showed the retainer a place in the forest where he could be protected from the storm.

As the retainer thanked the old man, the old man told him he was a messenger of the god Inari. That if the rundown shrine was rebuilt, the messenger would protect their harvest from disasters such as fire. So the shrine was rebuilt and festivals began in thanks for the protection and to honor Inari-sama.

It is an older shrine and the statuary shows aging. The komainu did look a little newer than the kitsune foxes.

It isn't a very big shrine but it is nice to visit.

Besides saving the retainer from the storm, it is said that in 1715 there was a plague and many people were saved here by the spiritual test of the shrine.

Which is when it was given the name of Koyasu Inari Shrine. They also have a website in Japanese with more information here https://www.koyasu-inari.com/

A Garden at Todoroki Valley

Having reached the end of the Todoroki Valley, I began walking back to the train station. But first there was one more thing to see. These tall bamboo behind this wall were an indication of what I wanted to see. 

The wall led to the entrance of 日本庭園等々力, Todoroki Japanese Garden.  

The entrance led to many steps up what is the side of the valley. 

 But it wasn't a bad walk up. Especially with all the trees dressed in their autumn colors.

 This garden is a great place for an autumn walk in Tokyo.

There were other plants there. Like this Ardisia Crenata or Coral Bush.

And the amazingly tall bamboo. The light filtering down through the bamboo was very pretty.

 There were Japanese features, like these 灯籠, stone lanterns, next to a stream.

I would guess that the water in the garden comes from one or more of the springs that feed into Todoroki Valley and the river. 

Because they also grow 山葵, wasabi there, and wasabi needs good water to grow. 

It is a working garden also, with the wasabi and this citrus orchard. 

 There is also a shrine there, 稚児大師御影堂, Chigo Daishi Mieido. The statue is of Buddhist Priest Kobo Daishi, who is believed to have invented Japanese kana and also explored the valley below after having a vision. When he did, he discovered the springs there.

Having seen a bit of the garden I headed back to Golf Bridge and the stairs out of the ravine. It was a really beautiful place to spend the afternoon. But my day wasn't over yet.