Meoto-Iwa, or Wedding Rocks, are two rock formations in the sea adjacent to Futami Okitama Shrine (Frog Shrine) in Ise, Mie prefecture, Japan. The two rocks are joined by a large shimenaw which is a rope usually made of rice-straw and used for sacred places or for purification. According to a Shinto belief, the rocks represent the union of Izanagi and Izanami who are creator deities in Japanese mythology .
Many people visit Meoto-Iwa and the Futami Okitama Shrine at sunrise to pray and wish for marital harmony or matchmaking. Frog statues of various types can be found all around the shrine. Legend has it that being surrounded by many statues of frogs will make your wishes come true. Many wishes must come true here, because frog statues are plentiful.
I was lucky to find a hotel that was about 700 meters down the coastline from this site, which was such a perfect location. I love to try to find a hotel near the water whenever I can. I was able to walk to this shrine for sunrise and sunset views. Each morning I would stroll down at sunrise hoping for that perfect photo with the sun rising between the rocks, but as luck would have it, each morning it was too cloudy… ah, rainy season. But the clouds did add some beautiful color to some photos.
Walking along the path to the shrine in the evening was mesmerizing! The path was lit up with paper lanterns and it was just magical! Many of the lanterns were painted with frog pictures. And since I absolutely love frogs and paper lanterns, I was pretty happy!
I loved the simplicity of the paintings on the lanterns.
At this shrine, even the chozuya (the water purification feature at the entrance to shrines or temples) has frogs instead of the typical dragon.
Just down the street from the shrine was this little shop. They had quite a variety of ceramic frogs and other types of souvenirs. There were a couple of other shops closer to the hotel that also sold frog souvenirs.
This was one of my favorite stops on this trip. During the day, I drove around to other sites nearby, but it was nice to come home to this little shrine by the sea to watch the sun set. There are so many unique places in Japan. I wish I had time to visit them all.
Pin for Futamiokitama Shrine and Meoto-Iwa
Happy Adventuring!
Kari
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