In the dense forests of Yamanashi Prefecture, just outside of the city of Fuji Yoshida, Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja is the shrine marking the northern path leading to the summit of Mt. Fuji. The shrine is dedicated to Konohanasakuya-hime, the goddess of all volcanoes across Japan. It’s not known when exactly the shrine was first established, but this shrine is one of over a thousand across Japan, and some of them date back to the Yayoi Period.

For the educated: 10. For the casual: 10.

Let’s start with the crucial and inequivocal truth: this is the shrine to Mt. Fuji. This is it! This is where, for centuries, pilgrims would recieve blessings to climb the mountain and have their faith rewarded via the steep incline. Beneath ancient pines, visitors can walk the long straight up to the first gate, then through to the inner shrine to pray. I visited just after New Years, and the lines to pray were so long we were sorted into groups, then subdivided again, then directed to a place to stand to wait our turn to pray. It was one hell of an ordeal, but worth every moment.