Myojin Pond 🙏🏻💜

Myojin Pond & Hotaka Shrine Review – A Land Where Nature and Gods Coexist Quietly 🪷🏞️⛩️ In Kamikōchi, which is said to be quiet and mesmerizingly beautiful, there is an even deeper corner that is even more beautiful — that is, Myojin Pond and Hotaka Shrine Okumiya, which are places that truly feel like you are approaching “nature in the dimension of the spirit”. 🌿 The journey from Kappa-bashi Bridge to the shrine takes about 30–40 minutes, walking through a humid forest. Tall trees line up like a natural wall separating the outside world from us. The way is very quiet, so quiet that you can hear your footsteps, birds, wind, and your own inner voice. ⛩️ Hotaka Shrine is located in an area that is so quiet that you can feel its sacredness. Although it is a small shrine, it gives off an indescribable sense of mysticism. It is said that it was built to worship the mountain god who protects this land and is the location of the ceremony. The annual “Okumiya-sai” (wooden boat ride) highly revered by locals 💧 Behind the shrine is Myojin Pond — a dreamlike beauty. The pond water is still, clear, and cool, and reflects the surrounding mountains and trees as clearly as a mirror. There is no sound, only an indescribable stillness. The color of the pond water ranges from clear green to deep blue, depending on the sunlight that day. It is a place where you can stand still and quietly and feel that “there is something here.” Whether it is the power of nature, the gods, or the gentle emptiness — it is a feeling that can be felt with the heart, not just the eyes. — ✨ If Kamikōchi is a place where we can listen to the sounds of nature, Myojin Pond is a place where we can listen to the deepest voice of “ourselves.” A place where we don’t have to speak… but our hearts respond with something.