Hikawa Shrine is one of the oldest shrines in Japan, said to have a history of more than 2,000 years. It is also the origin of the place name of Omiya (meaning “great shrine”) where the shrine is located. More than 280 Hikawa shrines exist in Saitama prefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, and Kanagawa prefecture. The approach to the Hikawa Shrine is the longest in Japan as a straight-line approach, and the atmosphere surrounded by Japanese zelkova trees is, as it were, of another world.

Photograph provided by Saitama Prefecture Tourism Association