Furumine Shrine

Deep in the mountains near Nikko, this 1,300-year-old shrine honors the mythical hero Yamato Takeru and his tengu (long-nosed goblin) messengers. The sprawling 500-hectare forested precinct feels genuinely remote despite being only an hour from Utsunomiya. Visitors receive uniquely artistic goshuin stamps featuring elaborate hand-painted tengu designs, some of the most coveted shrine stamps in all of Japan.