Atsuta Shrine

熱田神宮

A forest shrine guarding one of the imperial regalia

Hours

Grounds open for worship; the treasure hall and shops keep their own hours (check on site)

Tickets

Grounds free; treasure hall charged separately

Address

1-1-1 Jingu, Atsuta Ward

A whole camphor forest survives in the middle of the city, and inside it sits the shrine said to hold Kusanagi, the sacred sword among Japan's three imperial regalia. Nobody gets to see the sword, but on the gravel approach you hear your own footsteps more than the traffic outside. Some nine million people come a year, and at New Year the paths are solid with people. Find the thousand-year-old camphor tree, have a bowl of kishimen noodles inside the grounds, and it fills a relaxed half day.