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In hakodate, I found a ichimatsu doll. I travelled all over Japan, carrying her in my backpack. Some strange things happened to me (which I don't want to elaborate too much). A monk I met in Kyoto told me about Awashima, but I thought he was talking about some restaurants in Kyoto. Another monk I met in Nara (who speak better English) told me to go to Kada near Wakayama. Wakayama was in my Lonely Planet Book, but Kada wasn't. So I did a search on Google using "wakayama kada shrine" and the second listing return "Awashima Jinja" (which reminded me about the monk's words in Kyoto). It didn't take me long to figure out how to get there.

Finally I arrived at Awashima Jinja (the doll shrine). I dropped my doll in a green plastic donation box in front of the shrine office. Instantly, my shoulder felt lighter (of course, the doll was quite heavy). I said goodbye to her and began taking pictures around the shrine.

1) Stone water basin

I entered the shrine, passing a couple seafood restaurants. The shrine office is on the right hand side of the main shrine building. They have a couple of plastic boxes in front of their office for people to drop off their donations. I dropped off m...

2006:11:26 11:28:53
  
 stone water basin 
  
2) Awashima jinja

How to go to Kada?
You might want to visit the tourist information office first. The Wakayama tourist information center is located in the underground shopping arcade in front of the JR train station (not the restaurant arcade under the station), th...

same location as last photo
2006:11:26 11:42:05
  
 awashima jinja 
  
3) Bears in awashima jinja

There are dolls of various kinds, dogs, sheep, bears, chickens, toads: anything you can imagine. Some of them are made of woods, some made of ceramic or porcelain.

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2006:11:26 11:57:27
  
 bears in awashima jinja 
  
  
 view--kada - assorted dolls in awashima jinja 
  

4) Kada - assorted dolls in awashima jinja
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2006:11:26 11:58:26
  
 view--kada - child monk 
  

5) Kada - child monk
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2006:11:26 11:58:34
  
 blue clay doll 
  

6) Blue clay doll
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2006:11:26 11:58:51
  
 clay ningyos 
  

7) Clay ningyos
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2006:11:26 11:58:58
  
 view--kada - match maker doll 
  

8) Kada - match maker doll
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2006:11:26 12:00:37
  
 view--kada - colorful ghost mask 
  

9) Kada - colorful ghost mask
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2006:11:26 12:13:57
  
 daruma dolls 
  

10) Daruma dolls
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2006:11:26 12:19:17
  
 cheer leading old man 
  

11) Cheer leading old man
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2006:11:26 12:21:32
  
 secret stash of penises 
  

12) Secret stash of penises
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2006:11:26 12:25:32
  
 three monkeys - no see - no hear - no say 
  

13) Three monkeys - no see - no hear - no say
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2006:11:26 12:30:58
  
 porcelain rabbits 
  

14) Porcelain rabbits
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2006:11:26 12:31:48
  
 two headed white snake 
  

15) Two headed white snake
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2006:11:26 12:32:13
  
 ceramic white sheep 
  

16) Ceramic white sheep
same location as last photo
2006:11:26 12:32:45
  
 assorted geisha dolls 
  

17) Assorted geisha dolls
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2006:11:26 12:39:04
  
 fox spirits 
  

18) Fox spirits
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2006:11:26 12:41:40
  
 brown toads 
  

19) Brown toads
same location as last photo
2006:11:26 12:43:04
  
 view--kada - japanese bride doll in traditional costume 
  

20) Kada - japanese bride doll in traditional costume
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2006:11:26 12:49:38
  
 view--kada - ichimatsu dolls 
  

21) Kada - ichimatsu dolls
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2006:11:26 12:49:53
  
 graceful japanese bride dolls 
  

22) Graceful japanese bride dolls
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2006:11:26 12:50:58
  
 geisha dolls 
  

23) Geisha dolls
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2006:11:26 13:02:02
  
 rat of fortune 
  

24) Rat of fortune
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2006:11:26 13:04:41
  
 close up of a geisha doll 
  

25) Close up of a geisha doll
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2006:11:26 13:05:35
  
 view--kada - geisha doll with headdress 
  

26) Kada - geisha doll with headdress
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2006:11:26 13:05:53
  
 secret stash of sex toys hidden in another shrine room 
  

27) Secret stash of sex toys hidden in another shrine room
same location as last photo
2006:11:26 13:10:01
  
 tanuki 
  

28) Tanuki
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2006:11:26 13:30:30
  
 view--kada - ceramic couple dolls 
  

29) Kada - ceramic couple dolls
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2006:11:26 13:30:58
  
 assorted ceramic dolls 
  

30) Assorted ceramic dolls
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2006:11:26 13:31:15
  
 girl doll 
  

31) Girl doll
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2006:11:26 13:31:30
  
 last samurai warrior 
  

32) Last samurai warrior
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2006:11:26 13:31:50
  
 child holding a goldfish 
  

33) Child holding a goldfish
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2006:11:26 13:32:03
  
 mini kittens 
  

34) Mini kittens
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2006:11:26 13:32:50
  
 view--kada - maneki neko 
  

35) Kada - maneki neko
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2006:11:26 13:32:59
  
 golden boy riding on a red fish 
  

36) Golden boy riding on a red fish
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2006:11:26 13:33:14
  
 giant green head doll 
  

37) Giant green head doll
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2006:11:26 13:33:57
  
 a tribe of toads 
  

38) A tribe of toads
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2006:11:26 13:36:03
  
 god of longevity made of copper 
  

39) God of longevity made of copper
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2006:11:26 13:37:23
  
 view--kada - mask of angry old man 
  

40) Kada - mask of angry old man
same location as last photo
2006:11:26 13:40:27
  
 blue ghost mask 
  

41) Blue ghost mask
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2006:11:26 13:43:34
  
 teenage samurai 
  

42) Teenage samurai
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2006:11:26 13:46:22
43) Frogs on a leaf

Looking closely, you can see all these frogs were brutally murdered.

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2006:11:26 13:48:10
  
 frogs on a leaf 
  
44) Two green frogs

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2006:11:26 13:48:16
  
 two green frogs 
  
45) Toads with a million yen

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2006:11:26 13:48:26
  
 toads with a million yen 
  
  
 red demon mask 
  

46) Red demon mask
same location as last photo
2006:11:26 13:49:52
  
 view--kada - doll of a fisherman daughter 
  

47) Kada - doll of a fisherman daughter
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2006:11:26 13:51:44
  
 geisha in white dress 
  

48) Geisha in white dress
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2006:11:26 13:52:43
  
 mane ki neko - beckoning cat 
  

49) Mane ki neko - beckoning cat
same location as last photo
2006:11:26 13:54:31
  
 hina matsuri - the doll festival in awashima jinja 
  

50) Hina matsuri - the doll festival in awashima jinja
same location as last photo
2006:11:26 13:57:18
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