KADA-AWASHIMA JINJA

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
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
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. same location as last photo 2006:11:26 11:57:27
4) Kada - assorted dolls in awashima jinja same location as last photo 2006:11:26 11:58:26	5) Kada - child monk same location as last photo 2006:11:26 11:58:34	6) Blue clay doll same location as last photo 2006:11:26 11:58:51
7) Clay ningyos same location as last photo 2006:11:26 11:58:58	8) Kada - match maker doll same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:00:37	9) Kada - colorful ghost mask same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:13:57
10) Daruma dolls same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:19:17	11) Cheer leading old man same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:21:32	12) Secret stash of penises same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:25:32
13) Three monkeys - no see - no hear - no say same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:30:58	14) Porcelain rabbits same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:31:48	15) Two headed white snake same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:32:13
16) Ceramic white sheep same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:32:45	17) Assorted geisha dolls same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:39:04	18) Fox spirits same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:41:40
19) Brown toads same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:43:04	20) Kada - japanese bride doll in traditional costume same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:49:38	21) Kada - ichimatsu dolls same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:49:53
22) Graceful japanese bride dolls same location as last photo 2006:11:26 12:50:58	23) Geisha dolls same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:02:02	24) Rat of fortune same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:04:41
25) Close up of a geisha doll same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:05:35	26) Kada - geisha doll with headdress same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:05:53	27) Secret stash of sex toys hidden in another shrine room same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:10:01
28) Tanuki same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:30:30	29) Kada - ceramic couple dolls same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:30:58	30) Assorted ceramic dolls same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:31:15
31) Girl doll same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:31:30	32) Last samurai warrior same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:31:50	33) Child holding a goldfish same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:32:03
34) Mini kittens same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:32:50	35) Kada - maneki neko same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:32:59	36) Golden boy riding on a red fish same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:33:14
37) Giant green head doll same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:33:57	38) A tribe of toads same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:36:03	39) God of longevity made of copper same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:37:23
40) Kada - mask of angry old man same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:40:27	41) Blue ghost mask same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:43:34	42) Teenage samurai same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:46:22
43) Frogs on a leaf Looking closely, you can see all these frogs were brutally murdered. same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:48:10
44) Two green frogs same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:48:16
45) Toads with a million yen same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:48:26
46) Red demon mask same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:49:52	47) Kada - doll of a fisherman daughter same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:51:44	48) Geisha in white dress same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:52:43
49) Mane ki neko - beckoning cat same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:54:31	50) Hina matsuri - the doll festival in awashima jinja same location as last photo 2006:11:26 13:57:18

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