Aug 19, 2012 - 1 min read

The Road to Oku-no-In

Sometimes it's the journey, not the destination

By Anonymous

Community writer

Oku-no-In is very well signposted. There's no mistaking the route

The path winds up past some nice old houses. Here's an old well with some flowers growing from a crack.

Very pretty against their concrete background

A little goat bleats a greeting. Hello little goat

Lillies sprout from a bollard. Yonder mountain looks dry and rocky

Yes indeed. I won't be climbing that today

Wow! The path goes through a tree!

This place is really well signposted! This is getting exciting!

Luxurious sago palms in an abandoned garden

Oku-no-In!? Can this be it?

The other Oku-no-In, and a sense of arrival

Oku-no-In means 'the inner sanctuary', and it's a name given to temples and shrines that are set back, away from the taint of the world. Behind Omishima's grand Oyamazumi Shrine, I found signposts to Oyamazumi Oku-no-In. I had to see this! I followed the path, and although I wasn’t impressed with what I found at my destination, the journey itself was marvelous.

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By Anonymous

Justin Velgus

Justin Velgus 4 years ago

Great point. You never know what you may find until you explore. These small wonders can often be found behind tourist locations or just a street over from the main road.

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