Nikko 2017: Futarasan Shrine (二荒山神社)

Right next to Toshogu Shrine is the older but less famous Futarasan Shrine that is dedicated to the deities of three mountains in the Nikko area. I walked over to Futarasan Shrine right after I finished at Toshogu, following a path lined with stone lanterns. Futarasan is a lot smaller and less ornate than Toshogu but it’s also a lot quieter and it’s got some nice red buildings. In the main hall a priestess was performing a ceremony for a small group of people seated in there. Since I’m not familiar with the strain of Buddhism that’s practiced at Futarasan I don’t know what the ceremony was supposed to represent but it was interesting to watch.