Sumiyoshi Taisha

You can reach Sumiyoshi Taisha by train (Nankai Main Line to Sumiyoshi-taisha Station, or Hankai Tram to Sumiyoshi-torii-mae stop) or by car, with a large free parking lot on site. The shrine is the head of roughly 2,300 Sumiyoshi shrines across Japan and covers a wide, unhurried grounds.

The first thing you cross is the Sori-bashi, the steep arched bridge nicknamed Taiko-bashi. Its maximum incline is about 48 degrees, steeper than it looks in photos, so take it slowly. At night it is lit up and reflects in the water below. Once inside, note that the building directly ahead is the Third Main Shrine, not the First, which sits further back.