Yahiko Shrine

Beautiful shrine, but busy in the autumn months

Yahiko Shrine is situated in Niigata Prefecture and is known as a spot to pray for love and good fortune. The shrine is also known as somewhere particularly beautiful for checking out the koyo (autumn leaves) in all their glory. We visited a little late to get to enjoy all of the leaves, but it was still very beautiful nonetheless. There were plenty of displays out of chrysanthemums, lining the entire walkway up to the shrine. If you have a goshuin (shrine stamp book) you are able to get that filled in here too. On the ground there are also some deer and chickens in pens (our kids loved seeing them). If you're headed there by private vehicle there are several parking lots available, but do be warned that in autumn those fill up quickly. We had to park in the third lot, which is about a 10 minute walk to the shrine entrance. Not a big deal if you don't have little ones but it was a consideration for us!