Meoto-Iwa
After a long train journey, we walked along the sea front with our bags and arrived at our very old, deserted ryokan after dark. We went to sleep that night cold and a little uncomfortable because of a strong smell of cigarettes in the room. In the morning we woke early and stepped outside around 6am for a short walk before breakfast. The strong wind was icy cold and the air fresh.
Our ryokan was a 2 minute walk from Futami Okitama Jinja, a shrine balanced on the edge of the rocky coast. Alongside, in the water, 2 large rocks held sacred by the shrine, are bound together with a large shimenawa (a rice-straw rope that actually weighs over a ton). Meoto Iwa are known as the wedded rocks and we watched as the sun rose over the mountains and eventually spilled its warm light onto them. That day we were heading to Ise Jingu…
This is amazing. How magical.
It was the perfect start to a very special day.
To get to the shrine,looks like an ordeal. At least for someone like me who has some fear of heights. Still, rivetting to see from afar.