Chiyobo Inari-jinja Shrine

Ochobo-san (Chiyoho Inari Shrine) is a shrine known for blessings of business prosperity and household safety, drawing many visitors from inside and outside the prefecture, especially during New Year and at month-end. Its origins are said to trace back to the Heian period, when the sixth son of Minamoto no Yoshiie (Hachiman Taro) branched off his family and was told to “protect the ancestral spirit tablets and treasured sword for generations”—which is said to be the name’s origin. At Ochobo-san, worshippers traditionally do not offer coins as alms; instead, they offer aburaage (fried tofu) to the fox, messenger of the Inari deity. Near the entrance, you can buy offering sets of aburaage and sacred sake, including triangular aburaage threaded on straw. A “Heavy–Light Stone” beside the main hall is used for fortune-telling: by testing the stone’s perceived weight, you can divine whether a wish will be granted. Another highlight is the approach street food: along the roughly 700 m approach, about 120 shops line the way, offering many foods for strolling such as kushikatsu, candied sweet potatoes, taiyaki, and kusa-mochi. During the monthly “Tsukinamisai,” held from the end of each month into the 1st of the next month, stalls and vendors fill the approach and the area becomes lively with crowds.