Hikawa Shrine, Omiya

Hikawa Shrine in Omiya is one of the oldest and most prominent shrines in the Kanto region, with a history said to stretch back over 2,000 years and a former role as the region's chief shrine (ichinomiya) for old Musashi Province. The city name Saitama itself derives from the shrine's alternate designation. Visitors enter along a roughly two-kilometer tree-lined sando approach path, one of the longest in Japan, before reaching the vermilion torii gates, a stone bridge, and the main worship hall set within wooded grounds. A visit takes about an hour to ninety minutes, including a walk along a portion of the sando, time at the main hall, and a stop at the adjacent pond garden. The forested approach is at its best in early morning light, when dappled sun filters through the trees and few other visitors are present; the shrine becomes far busier from midday onward and especially crowded during New Year hatsumode visits, when hundreds of thousands come to pray for the year ahead. The contrast between the tranquil, tree-lined walk in and the open shrine courtyard is the site's signature visual experience.