Source
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n6016io/17/
After breakfast, we left the hotel and took a bus to Hakone Shrine. We entered the shrine grounds through the third gate, the main entrance, and began to make our way along the approach.
“As I expected, the shrine was full of tourists”
“Hakone Shrine is one of the strongest power spots in the Kanto region, so of course there will be a lot of people there.”
“If you happen to come during long holidays like summer vacation or Golden Week, the population density will be really high.”
While we were talking about this, we arrived at the place for ritual cleansing and I picked up the ladle. As I was about to cleanse my hands, Kano san opened her mouth and said.
“By the way, Yuito, do you know the proper etiquette for washing your hands?”
“No, I don’t know at all.”
“In that case, I will give you a special lesson. First of all, I’ll explain it and demonstrate it to you, so watch first.”
I was going to do it in a random way as usual, but since Kano san said so, I thought I would let her show me how to do it.
“First, pick up the ladle with your right hand, scoop up some water, and cleanse your left hand.”
“Oh, so there is an order to cleanse the left and right hands?
“Then, after you cleanse your right hand in the same way as before, you take the ladle with your right hand once more, fill your left hand with water, and hold it in your mouth.”
When Kano san finished saying this, she rinsed her mouth with the water. Then she quietly spit out the water she had contained while covering her mouth with her left hand in the drainage channel below.
“Then rinsed your left hand, washed the handle with the remaining water, and returned it to the drain.”
“That was helpful. I’ll try that.”
I followed the exact same procedure as Kano san and began to cleanse my hands and mouth. Up until now I’ve been doing it casually, so this is the first time I’ve done it properly.
“All right, now that we’ve both finished cleansing our hands and mouths, let’s move on.”
“We’ll probably go this way, right?”
“Yes, we should have passed through the gate and continued down the stairs.”
We passed through the fourth gate and began to climb the stairs. The stone stairs surrounded by large cedar trees were quite impressive.
We passed through the fifth gate and arrived at the front of the shrine, stopping at the Soga Shrine on the way up the stairs.
“The blue of the sky, the green of the forest, and the vermilion of the shrine building are really beautiful, aren’t they?”
“Just seeing this view makes me feel that it was worth the trip.”
“Let’s pay our respects right away.”
We each put a five-yen coin in the money box in the shrine building, and then we prayed by bowing twice, clapping twice, and clapping once. Needless to say, Kano san taught me the proper manners here as well.
“Then, let’s go to the main shrine, the Shingu of Kuzuryu Shrine.”
“Eh, isn’t the purpose of coming here to pray at the Hakone Shrine?”
“Yeah, I guess the real thing starts from here.”
It seems that this was just a prelude. I started to head to the Shingu of the Kuzuryu Shrine with Kano san guiding the way.
“Shingu means there is a main shrine somewhere else?”
“Shingu is a branch of the main shrine by Lake Ashi. Shingu was built next to Hakone Shrine for those who have difficulty visiting the main shrine.”
“It’s nice that they can pray together.”
“And it seems that no matter which way you visit the shrine, you will receive the same blessings.”
“What kind of blessings are there?”
“In addition to the effects of increasing financial luck, good luck, and thriving business, it also has the effect of matchmaking.”
I asked Kano san the question that had been bothering me, and she answered with a smiling expression on her face. I see, Kano san’s goal must be to find a match.
I would pray for Suzuno and I to get married in the future. After a few minutes’ walk, we arrived at the Shingu of Kuzuryu Shrine and prayed as we did before.
In contrast to me, Kano san spent a lot of time at the shrine. I can’t tell you how long it took, but it was so long that the couple in line behind us looked as if they were annoyed.
“…..Did you have to pray for that long?”
“I wanted to make a strong connection that would never be broken, no matter what.”
“I feel like if you go that far, it will never be broken.”
“I have no intention of ever letting go, so don’t worry.”
Kano san was more serious than I had ever seen her before. After that, we went down the stairs by the new shrine of Shingu of Kuzuryu Shrine and went to the Ryujin Suishal
There were nine dragons lined up in a row in the Ryujin Suisha, and water was flowing down from their mouths. The water was called [Ryujin Sui] which means [divine water] in Japanese, and it gushed out from the shrine grounds. It is said that when taken into the mouth, it purifies impurity and attracts good things.
“Isn’t the name [Ryujin Sui] extremely chuunibyou-ish?
“That’s what I thought, too.”
“If you drink it, you’ll be so much stronger.”
I’m probably not the only one who heard the name [Ryujin Su] (dragon god water) and thought of an item that greatly powers up a character in a certain shounen manga.
Incidentally, it is said that there is no problem to take home [Ryujin Sui] in a PET bottle. Considering the fact that PET bottles for taking home are sold at the gift shop, it is no exaggeration to say that this is actually recommended.
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