Saga Attractions｜Saga Takeo Shrine, a 3,000-year-old Kusu tree said to be inhabited by gods

#100 Ways to Travel Takeo Shrine Address: Takeo 5327, Takeo-machi, Takeo City, Saga Prefecture If you also like to visit shrines, I recommend you to visit Takeo Shrine in Saga. The official website of Takeo Shrine reads: "Our ancestors felt the gods in every operation of nature, believed that gods existed in all things, and worshiped them and to pray to the gods to protect themselves from the wrath and to thank nature for its blessings. Especially large trees and rocks are considered sacred and used as objects of faith." Transportation strategy: Takeo Shrine is located in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. Take the JR Limited Express Seagull from Fukuoka JR Hakata Station to JR Takeo Onsen Station. Those taking the bus can go to Hakata Bus Terminal or Nishitetsu-Tenjin Expressway Bus Station to Saga Bus Terminal, and then transfer to a local bus. After arriving at JR Saga Onsen Station, you can take a tour bus or walk to Takeo Shrine. You can also rent bicycles outside the station. Takeo Shrine is located about a 10-minute walk from the famous Takeo Library and can be visited together. Going up the stairs, the stone pillars and the mottled stones give off a sense of etherealness and time. After passing through the "Ni-no-Torii" (二ノtorii), there are two cypress trees side by side on the right hand side, which is called "Couple Hinoki". The roots of these two cypress trees intersect, and they are joined together at the middle branches. Therefore, they are considered to be able to protect good relationships, not only in love, but also in various aspects such as between people, work, and money. All kinds of fateful relationships. A rare white shrine in Japan, the main enshrinement is Takeuchi Sukone, the longest-lived god in Japan. It is said to be able to pray for military luck, good fortune and the elimination of misfortune. It is said that during a certain victory in the war, a white bird happened to land on the shrine. The locals believed that the white bird was a symbol of victory and luck, so they painted the outer walls of Takeo Shrine white. On the left side of the shrine, there is a sacred tree torii gate, leading to the 3,000-year-old sacred tree. The trail leading to the nanshu is lined with maple trees, and as you walk further inside, it becomes a bamboo forest towering into the sky. At the end is a tree that is over 3,000 years old and is the seventh largest sacred tree in Japan. It is 30 meters tall and has a trunk circumference of 22 meters. Chi, the hollow in the tree body and roots is said to be as big as 12 stacks of tatami. Only by seeing it with your own eyes can you fully appreciate the insignificance of human beings. In these thousand years, we are just a circle of years on the annual rings of the nan tree. The sacred tree is still growing and expanding. What is special is that there is a hollow in the tree, which is said to be the prototype of the tree hole in My Neighbor Totoro. In this nearly arc-shaped space, it is surrounded by a dense forest, forming a huge energy space. When you come here, you must feel the sacred space and silence, and listen to the sounds of nature. # Takeo Shrine # Takeo Onsen Station # Saga # Big Nanshu # Shrine # Kyushu # Japan # familytravel #神木