Atsuta Shrine

Atsuta Shrine is Japan's second most sacred Shinto site after Ise, set within a forested park of ancient camphor trees in the Atsuta-ku district of Nagoya. At its heart lies one of Japan's greatest enigmas: the Kusanagi-no-tsurugi, the legendary grass-cutting sword and one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan. No member of the public — and reportedly not even the Emperor himself — has ever laid eyes on it; the sword is kept permanently sealed from view, feeding centuries of myth and speculation. The shrine's founding is traditionally dated some 1,900 years ago, and today it draws around nine million visitors each New Year for Hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the year. Forested walking paths weave through the compound, and small stalls sell omamori amulets and omikuji fortune slips.