Ikuta Shrine (the oldest in Kobe)

The Ikuta Shrine is the oldest in Kobe and one of the most venerated in western Japan, with a history going back to the year 201 AD, when according to the chronicles it was founded by order of Empress Jingu. It is dedicated to the goddess Wakahirume-no-Mikoto and has been the city's tutelary shrine for more than 1.800 years. What surprises the modern visitor is its location: right in the heart of the bustling Sannomiya shopping district, surrounded by shops and skyscrapers, but with a cedar-wooded precinct that creates a surprising silence as soon as you cross the torii. The shrine's sacred forest (Ikuta-no-Mori) is one of the few green spaces in Kobe's urban centre. Access is free and the precinct is open all day. It is especially visited by young couples (the shrine is dedicated to love) and in January for the Hatsumode festival. It is a two-minute walk from the north exit of Sannomiya station (JR, Hankyu, Hanshin).