Udo Jingu

Udo Jingu is a rare shrine with its main hall inside a cave on a cliff along the Nichinan Coast, revered as a deity of matchmaking and safe childbirth. Worship takes the unusual form of a 'descending shrine' with steep stone steps leading down, and the approach path overlooking the magnificent Pacific Ocean is refreshing. The specialty 'fortune ball toss' is believed to grant wishes when clay balls thrown with prayers land in a crevice of a turtle-shaped rock below the cliff—the sight of visitors attempting this is endearing. Many tourists visit it as a popular spot on the Nichinan Coast drive.