The Island of Kinkasan

Miyagi Prefecture

A special visit to the sacred island of Kinkasan in Miyagi Prefecture.

Last week we ventured to the neighboring prefecture of Miyagi where we made a special visit to the sacred island of Kinkasan just off the coast of Ishinomaki City along the Sanriku Coastline.

This island is home to the Koganeyama Shrine, a shinto shrine visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year seeking blessings for wealth and financial good fortune.

It is said that by visiting this shrine each year for three years in a row will bestow visitors with wealth and fortune in their lives. It also has a unique ritual here where visitors will wash their credit cards in one of the fountains next to the Ebisu and Daikokuten statues at the shrine to obtain wealth and fortune.

In addition to the Koganeyama Shrine, Kinkasan also has over 500 deer that freely roam the shrine and forests of this island. Deer are viewed as messengers of the gods in Shinto religion and like the deer in Nara, have enjoyed centuries of pampered treatment by the people visiting Kinkasan. The shrine here sells deer feed with which you can feed the deer here. Just be careful as the deer here have zero fear of humans and will not hesitate to bump or even bite you if they see a chance to get more food out of you!

See a short video we shot with the deer during our short visit.

Access

Reaching Kinkasan is a bit tricky as there is only one single ship that departs from the port of Onagawa each weekday at 9:00am sharp.

Further, this ship departs back to Onagawa at 11:00am from Kinkasan leaving guests only 2 hours to explore the island before having to head back.

There is a small hotel and temple lodging available on the island, as well.You may see this link for boat times to get to Kinkasan.

Derek Yamashita

The Hidden Japan Creative Director. Following his passion to connect with his roots as a Japanese American, Derek started a life in Japan after college living in the deep countryside of Yamagata Prefecture. Falling in love with the trails, cycling courses, fishing and all that the countryside had to offer, Derek co-founded a travel company called The Hidden Japan in 2018. The Hidden Japan focuses on promoting the deeper sides of Japan beyond the big cities by working closely with rural communities to offer order-made boutique tours letting travelers experience Japan alongside the local people.

December 15, 2020

Miyagi Prefecture

A special visit to the sacred island of Kinkasan in Miyagi Prefecture.

Access

Derek Yamashita

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