Amano Yasukawara

A ten-minute walk along the Iwato River from Amaterasu Shrine leads to this riverside cave, where, according to legend, the gods of heaven gathered to devise a plan to lure the sun deity out of hiding and restore light to the world. Today the cave holds a large shrine, and visitors over the years have begun stacking stones on the cave floor as a form of prayer. The stacks have grown tall and numerous, creating an atmosphere that feels genuinely weighted with intention. Walk carefully among them; each pile is someone's wish. The cave is most evocative in the early morning before the tour groups arrive.