Friday, April 4, 2014

Off the Beaten Path to a Ritual in a Cave (Photo Essay)


10 More Photos from the Cave Tour

 

 

Little known cultural events of this sort are becoming popular.

 Travel and tourism connections, along with newsletters, keep me informed.

 Toguchi Sensei, the spiritual leader of this event, knows it as well.

When we first discovered, this ritual, it was performed, only once a year.

marker pointing to cave

Tourist maps and markers, may have helped Sururu Gama become popular.

Or, it could just be word of mouth, that brought about increased interest in the event.

To accommodate the number of visitors, four cave tours have been scheduled this year.


 It's a good idea, to see what you're getting into before going on one of these pilgrimages.

It isn't exactly like a Sunday drive to church.




cliffs along path to ocean

 Getting to and from, the sea level cave, takes a bit of hiking and rock climbing.


hole to crawl into sealevel cave

Visits are made during low tide and, you crawl, to get in there.

heart shaped formation in rock at sea level

Here's a view of a heart-shaped hole in a rock, just outside the cave.

At half tide, this and the cave would be invisible unless, you are a diver or, snorkeler.


view inside candle lit cave


The cave will hold about 50 guests before becoming overcrowded.

Candles and some natural light help you navigate the interior.

a priestess conducting rotual in cave

The real attraction is Ayako Toguchi, performing her rituals.

prayer and offerings inside cave

She is a respected spiritual leader in the Ryukyu Islands.

prayer and blessings inside cave

 And, blesses each individual who attends the event in this cave.


There will be two more tours of this cultural event, for the year 2014.

April 13th and the 20th, are the scheduled dates.

For reservations and further information:  TEL 0980-56-2187

Japanese language or, translator are required.









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