Takayama Shinto Shrine across the street from Shinagawa station.
The Takayama Shinto Shrine shrine was built at the end of the 15th century on a hill near where the Shinagawa station stands now. At that time there were about 200 steps leading from the sea to the oratory of the shrine as the sea was just behind where the Shinagawa station site today. This shrine was regarded as a crucial landmark for ships of the time period.
When worshiping at the shrine you are to wash your hands with the water in the stone basin. Then you stand in front of the oratory toss a few coins into the offertory box. Then you ring the bell once, bow twice, clap your hands twice, bow once more, and pray.
While the basin does seem original there is a motion sensor that will turn on the water that’s coming out of the dragon’s mouth. So there has been some amount of restoration and upgrades to the shrine.
The shrine is in surprisingly good repair it seems for how old it is. The detail in the carvings on the ornamental pillars is really incredible. Not only are the Japanese people very reverent and respectful of their heritage they also are very superstitious and seem to hold tightly to the traditions of old. This is made evident in the care that was taken to relocate the Takayama Shinto Shrine to its current location across the road from the Shinagawa Station and significantly further back from the ocean where it stood for many generations.
