Niigata Prefecture

Why you should go

• Mount Yahiko stands exactly 634 meters tall, the same height as Tokyo Skytree. The mountain itself is considered the shintai (sacred body) of the shrine, making the entire peak a divine object of worship.
• Yahiko Jinja is one of the three ichinomiya of historic Echigo Province, marking it as a top-ranked regional shrine.
• Yahiko Shrine uses a unique worship method of two bows, FOUR claps, and one bow, unlike most shrines in Japan which use only two claps. This distinctive ritual sets it apart from nearly every other shrine in the country.