Is Yoyogi Hachimangu Shrine a Hidden Power Spot? A Friendly Chat About Japanese and Indian Gods

On my way back from Shinjuku, the Indian dad sitting next to me on the Odakyu Line was chanting "Yoyogi-Hachiman" over and over.

Finally, he asked me, "Is this the right train for Yoyogi-Hachiman Station?"

I said, "Yep! Whereabouts in Yoyogi-Hachiman are you headed?"

He said, "Yoyogi Hachimangu Shrine ⛩️"
I had no idea, but it seems Yoyogi Hachimangu is a bit of a hidden "Power Spot" for travelers.

I told them, "It’s on my way home, so I’ll walk you there," and the dad looked pretty relieved.
On the way, we started chatting about whether it’s true that foxes are the messengers of the gods.

Me: "Wait, foxes are just messengers? I always thought they were the gods."

Dad: "Nah, it says here they’re just messengers. In India, we’ve got gods with elephant heads, though."

Me: "In Japan, we think even rocks and trees are gods. Even Sumo wrestlers are basically treated like gods."

Dad: "Well, India has more gods than there are stars in the sky."

Me: "The more, the merrier, right? Battles between monotheistic religions can get pretty intense..."

Dad: "You’re not wrong... like Israel and Iran..."

And that’s how it went. The dad took this photo of his daughter and me together on the Yoyogi-Hachiman platform.