Taga-taisha shrine in Shiga, Japan

 

Taga shrine /Taga Taisha [Japanese: 多賀大社]
on New Year's day.

Mikos were dancing under the snow.
(a miko [巫女]: a maiden in the service of a Shinto shrine)

 Tree was white with the snow.

Episode of Taga shrine [多賀大社]

Tomo&Chouchou went to Taga shrine (Taga-taisha) located in Shiga prefecture for Hatsumōde (=the first visit to the Shinto shrine on New Year's Day).
On the day when Tomo&Chouchou went to Taga Taisha, it was very cold and it snowed. Everybody was praying with umbrella under the snow.
It was very fantastic and beautiful to see the mikos dancing under the snow. 
We also enjoyed winter scenery such Japanese traditional shrine with snow. It is rare to snow in the place where Tomo&Chouchou live, so it was very impressive to see snow in New Year's. It was the good beginning of the year !


Information
Gods of Taga shrine are famous for a longevity (=long life) [Japanese: 延命長寿],
a talisman (=avoiding misfortune)[Japanese: 厄除け], or a good match [Japanese: 縁結び].

The fame of Taga-Taisha spread quickly among the samurai and the public
in the period between Kamakura and Edo.

Hideyoshi Toyotomi [Japanese: 豊臣秀吉] also prayed for his mother's disease
 at Taga Taisha then his mother's illness was cured.

Address:
604 Taga, Taga-cho, Inugami-gun, Shiga
滋賀県犬上郡多賀町多賀604

Transportation:
about 20 minutes walk from Taga Taisha-mae Station [多賀大社前駅]
on the Ohmi Railway Taga Line [近江鉄道多賀腺]
or
about 10 minutes by bus from Minami-Hikone Station [南彦根駅]
on the JR West Biwako Line [ＪＲ西琵琶湖線].