Suwa Taisha Kamisha Honmiya

Visited this famous shrine in Nagano every new year these years. Love the atmosphere and you can eat and shop along the way to the shrine. Parking area is too busy during new year holiday but lucky enough to fine some vacancy a bit far from the spot.

30 mins from Suwa Akimiya and the parking is free.
Recommend to vist the 4 Jinjia at one time.

We enjoyed this shrine very much, tranquilly located on the edge of a forest and seemingly in harmony with the grand, towering trees that surround it. It is hard to appreciate Shinto shrines if you are not Japanese, or don't have a cultural and aesthetic understanding of their meaning, architecture and significance. But this one is just naturally attractive even if, like us, you have little understanding of what you are looking at. So much beautiful wood in the construction, and a pleasing absence of the signage that seems ubiquitous at many such places and that so badly mars the aesthetics.

Easy to get to by car, with free parking available nearby. Not sure how to go about getting here by public transport.

This was a huge complex. I liked how everyone was dressed in traditional clothes and taking care of the site. It was cool to see a blessing being performed for safe travels for a truck driver and his companion. I was able to get the shrine stamps here. Everything was so well kept. I liked the sumo shrines that where as well which was cool. After visiting here I ate some nice jelly like noodles at a nearby shop which was perfect for the very hot day.

This is the biggest of the four Suwa Taisha shrines.
Lmts of interesting buildings and stuff. I enjoyed much here.
The main god is famous for Sumo wrestling.

Beautiful shrine in the forest. I really liked it. A bit of a struggle to reach as buses were very infrequent.

This area has many beautiful shrines. The Shrines are all next to the mountains, so you feel connected to nature. It is a really peaceful here.

Very old great center of culture. Not so many people here, greeny tiny yard. Near jinja is nice street with many restaurants, parking is very close and free of charge.

Autumn

Must visit place . Tranquil and purge yourself....love it . Photographs does not justify the beauty of this place....

It's really beautiful 😍 place 😍. You can visit here by car there is free parking available also. And there are many traditional shop here so you can buy. Something if you want to buy.

Loved it. I'm not religious or spiritual, but this place gave me a very peaceful vibe and it was beautiful

Its another dimension. Looks like you go to another universe when you came to this place. Its been there for almost 8 centuries, this place still looks dope. Your gonna find a different experience when you visit this place. This shrine open everyday, but not 24 hours.

The spiritual heart of Suwa

Suwa Taisha is one of Japan’s oldest sanctuaries. Nobody knows exactly how old it is, but it was first mentioned in Japanese literature in the 7th century.
It is made up of four complexes, the two upper shrines of Maemiya and Honmiya on the Southern side of Lake Suwa, and the two lower shrines of Akimiya and Harumiya on the Northern side.

Honmiya is the main complex of the upper shrines. Built to hold the plentiful sacred rituals which animate the spiritual life of the region, this is the largest and most elaborated of the Suwa Taisha shrines. Take time to observe the detailed carvings of the shrine buildings and the massive ceremonial drum.

A bit of trivia: The god enshrined at Suwa Taisha, Takeminakata-no-kami, is said to have been the first to take part in a sumo match. For that reason, a local sumo competition takes place every year within the shrine premises. Make sure to check the earthen dohyo ring on the way out.

The best way to reach Honmiya is from JR Chino station. You can take a taxi (15min), walk (50min) or rent a bike (20min) and explore the surroundings.
Maemiya is just 15min away on foot and on the way there you can stop by Jinchokan Moriya Historical Museum.

Beautiful shrine incorporating nature into the design of the shrine.

Just amazing ambiance. Under construction partially but you can still really enjoy this spot.

Was a great place to visit. The buildings were lovely and the trees there are strange but interesting to see.

My very first time to a Shrine in Japan. Very Beautiful 💜 I thought

Wonderful! We visit here every year.

Very nice, tranquil atmosphere.