Hatsumoude: The First Shrine Visit of 2025. From Japan

As soon as it turned 12 a.m. on the first day of 2025, I arrived at the Inari Shrine that is very close to my house (within 30 seconds). I was able to pray for my first shrine visit of 2025.

Actually, I visit this Inari Shrine, named Sakumori Inari Shrine, almost every day, but not specifically to pray for personal wishes—just to show appreciation. Though it’s a very small shrine, it gives me an immeasurable sense of calm.

This Sakumori Inari Shrine has been in this area since the Meiji period. It features a red entrance gate and two pairs of fox statues.

They say that ancient people believed the fox was the messenger of God and a guardian angel for rice cultivation because the foxes appeared from the time farmers began cultivating rice in the spring until the harvest in autumn, then returned to the mountains in winter.

To be honest, I hadn't paid much attention to the fox statues there. In fact, I used to feel a bit scared of them. However, now that I understand their significance in the Inari Shrine, I hope to become more interested in them.

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