Happy birthday Ninomiya Kazunari! We know it’s late. But you’re the forever 17 liners, so it won’t matter, right? Here’s another special post to celebrate Nino month.

When you are in Kobe and you are a big fan of Ninomiya Kazunari, please do pay a visit to this area. It is totally unrelated to our Neen, but it is sure fun to find the place and take picture with his name written everywhere.

二宮神社 = Ninomiya Jinja 

We came to this shrine around 4 o’clock during winter so it’s almost dark and the shrine is closed :(. Anyway, we’re not aiming to do something there, so it’s okay. As long as we could find the place, took pictures of it, and post something here then it’s fine, hehe..

we came from this side and thought the shrine is that square building *doh*

here it is, the front door of Ninomiya Jinja

Actually, this shrine is one of the eight shrines of Kobe. For sure it is the second one as the name Ni (two).  Each shrine has its own specialization to wish for and this shrine is for winning, money, and health. Wait, did it say money? That sounds so Nino, huh?

The shrine is located not far from Kobe city center. It’s about 10 minutes walking from Sannomiya Train Station. Along the way to the shrine, you may pass by a long street called Ninomiya-chou. Yes, they have a big “Ninomiya” written there. This seems to be a shopping street with small shops and food kiosks and bars. Most of them were already closed when we were there. But again, it’s okay. This picture is enough 😀

Oh yes, near the shrine, though not in this street, there is Ninomiya Ryokan. Too bad we did not plan to stay overnight in Kobe at that time. If so, I will definitely book that ryokan, haha. Maybe next time when the real Nino is also staying there.

Let’s go back to the shrine. If you need more information about it, kindly check it’s official website (it’s all in Japanese, so good luck with that!). Probably this Ninomiya Jinja in Kobe is less popular despite its name. There is another (Hotoku) Ninomiya Jinja in Kanagawa that seems quite famous for tourism. And I think there are many other Ninomiya shrines all over Japan. When we have other chances, we may visit them all for the sake of Ninomiya Kazunari \m/

Ps; we also have other idol-Jinjas to be featured on this blog, so stay tuned!

What: Ninomiya Shrine, Kobe
Where: 3-1-12 Ninomiya-cho, Kobe 6510093, Japan [map]
How to go:  7-10 minutes walk from Sannomiya Train Station
How much: free, because Nino likes free things :p