At Udo Shrine in Miyazaki prefecture, Japan, visitors can purchase clay balls and attempt to toss them into a rope circle on top of a rock below. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes) ...

Udo Shrine. Sacred to: Hiko Nagi-satake Ugaya-fukiaezu no Mikoto Location: Miyaura 3232, Nichinan-shi, Miyazaki Prefecture The origins of the shrine are unknown, but Udozaki itself has been ...

Udo Shrine, on the coast of Miyazaki south of Aoshima, ticks all of those boxes. The gateway to Udo Shrine sits atop a seaside cliff. Image: Vicki L Beyer. The shrine is the setting for one of Japan’s ...

MIYAZAKI—Miyazaki Governor Shunji Kono on Jan. 5 apologized for the actions of prefectural government officials who tried to hide the fact that he made New Year’s visits to shrines while ...

The shrine structures themselves are often of architectural interest and many are located on sites of great natural beauty, often selected based on principles of geomancy. The most ancient of shrines ...