Hikawa Shrine in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, is an old Shinto shrine famous in Japan as a place to pray for love. This makes it one of the best-known attractions in Kawagoe, the "sweet potato town."
The shrine grounds have many interesting features beyond those of a typical Japanese shrine, such as fish-shaped fortune slips that specifically predict matters of love, an arch hung with wooden prayer plaques, a sacred stream for washing away bad luck, an arch of wind chimes for summer, a sacred tree that couples like to walk around in a figure-eight pattern for lasting love, a stone torii gate that is several hundred years old, and a huge red wooden torii gate that was once the largest in Japan.
Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine is one of several hundred Hikawa shrines across Japan. This one in Kawagoe was first built about 1,500 years ago, and it's also the origin of Kawagoe's major festival, Reitaisai, which is listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The shrine was built to worship a family of deities — grandparents, parents, and a child — together known as the Five Gods, which is why the shrine is famous for prayers about love and family.
Behind the shrine is a small stream that offers one of the most beautiful cherry blossom views in the Kanto region in spring. There's also an illumination event held in the evenings.
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