Sawara

Sawara ~"The City of Water"~

Sawara is one of the few towns that can be found near the Katori Sanctuary, along the Tone-gawa River (Japan's longest river), and is known as "The little Edo" due to its old well-preserved quarters that are on the list of the Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings.
Sawara is also named "Suigo Sawara", the term "Suigo" meaning the wetlands along the river.
Guests can enjoy a short 30-minute cruise on the Onogawa River, which joins the Tone River.
This city is also famous for having been the place where Tadataka Ino (1745-1818) lived, the first cartographer who mapped almost all the Japanese territory in a very precise way.
This man studied astronomy and surveys after his retirement and walked throughout Japan for more than 17 years. 

 
 
You can stroll around the old streets as if you were at the ancient times or you can take a rest in a small picturesque coffee shop from which the view of the river and the beautiful weeping willows.

Katori-jingu Shrine

This temple is not very well known to tourists although it is one of the most prestigious in Japan.
It is one of the three great sanctuaries of eastern Japan together with Ikisu-Jingu shrine and Kashima-Jingu shrine, where people has been making a pilgrimage since long ago.   
Nowadays, not only elder but also young Japanese go there still considering its sanctuaries as a real spiritual source of energy .
The most prestigious shrine in the country is Ise-Jingu located in Wakayama prefecture; however, only Katori and Kashima are allowed to use "Jingu" suffix excludes Ise-jingu. This categorizes the importance of shrines in the Shinto religion.
The fact that these three sanctuaries bear the name of jingu, proves that they are among the most venerated in the country.
The revered god at the shrine of Katori-Jingu is the god of sword, once prayed for battles, he is now a place of prayer for the success of an exam, a contest or a match.
Apart from the events that it organizes, the temple is rarely crowded with visitors, because it is hard to get to, having no railway station nearby.
This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy the quiet and the mystical atmosphere of this sacred place.

 


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