When I was around 5 years old, my grandfather took me and my family to The Uga Shrine.
It looked a secret place because it’s in bamboo forest and located at the edge of the island.
Worship a white snake as the incarnation of god made it more mysterious.
When we were coming down the stone steps, we came accoss a white snake and actually my grandfater got on in business that year!
What is “Uga Shrine”?
“Uga Shrine” is located in Ryotsu area and on the heights of eastern costline in Sado Island.
It’s surrounded by bamboo forest and more than 500 handmade stone steps to the top.
Worship a white snake, a symbol of wealth, as the incarnation of god, and it’s good for thriving business and luck with money.
One day trip to “Uga Shrine”
When you hear “torii(a gateway at the entrance to a Shinto shrine)”, what color comes up to you?
If you have already been to Kyoto, Nara or Hiroshima, red color would come to your mind.
However, the gate here is white like a white sneak and hold sacred.
Make my bow to the gate and start warking to the stone steps.
There is a small statue on your right side at the entrance, so I showed my appreciation to bring me here too.
More than 500 stone steps wait for you, so you can use a free bamboo sticks to support you if you want.
All the steps were curved and piled by hands, so it makes that place more unique.
It’s in autmun, but I could’t see any dead leaves on the steps even though it’s surrounded by trees in the mountains.
No one can be seen around here but it’s well organized, so it makes the place more mysterious.
You can enjoy ancient Japanese scenery with bamboo forest all the way up to the top and mountains.
Fresh breeze coming between bamboo trees and the music of the birds make you relax.
10mins walk up to the top enjoying the scenery was very quick.
On your right side of the top of the steps, there is “Chozuya”, place for ritual cleansing of hands and mouth with water when visiting shrines.
After clensing and purifying your mind and body, you take the steps to the open space.
Ryotsu Bay on your leftside and rice fields on your right side, so you can see the sea and mountain at the same time.
The air is clear and you can see even details like the ferry on the sea and golden terraced paddy fields.
Not so many comes up here, so it’s also a secret marvelous view spot on the island.
There is a ancient shrine and I opened the doors, putting coins in a box for donation and pray.
You can get a lucky charm here too.
There is no one there, so you can put money either on the floor of the shrine or donation box.
A white sneak is a symbol of wealth
After enjoying the view, I went behind the shrine and found another shrine down there.
It’s more wild path and seemed hidden place.
When my friend prayed there, the sun started shining on him and we felt we were protected.
This place is not well known even by local people, so it’s kinds a unexplored spot.
It’s place is good for the people who want to enjoy the magnificent scenery quietly and relaxingly as well as the ones who want to thrive business and get wealth.
● Address: 114, Ryoo, Sado city
● Access: 20mins from Ryotsu Port, 80mins from Ogi Port
● Time: Open all day
● Parking: 10 cars avilable on the left side of the entrance of the shrine
● Fee: Free. You can doname some coins or bills so that local pleople can maintain the place. 🙂
