Visit Nara

Just off a popular retro shopping street, this Shinto shrine has been linked with baseball since a local man donated baseball mitts to the shrine for disadvantaged children’s teams in the Caribbean. Other locals started to donate baseball equipment, then famous pro-baseball players around the Kansai area contributed gear and memorabilia.

As a result, the shrine has become popular with baseball fans and children. Local teams visit to pray for good results and you can even write wishes on wooden plaques shaped like baseball mitts and buy baseball-themed amulets. Local children decorate the area with seasonal decorations, and they hold regular flea markets and events in the grounds, lending the shrine a festive air all year round.