Aoshima Shrine: Onarimichi 青島神社：御成道

Official explanation

The 60-meter path between the main buildings of Aoshima Shrine and Motomiya, the original site of the sanctuary, is called Onarimichi, and was originally reserved exclusively for the use of the emperor or other members of the royal family. It was built for the 1907 visit of crown prince Yoshihito (Emperor Taisho; 1879–1926). The gate was only opened for visits by members of the imperial family until the late 1960s. Notable royals to walk the Onarimichi have included Hirohito, Emperor Showa (1901–1989), whose visit as crown prince in 1920 provided the impetus for building the first modern bridge to Aoshima, Emperor Emeritus Akihito (1933–), who prayed at the shrine as crown prince in 1962, and Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko (1887–1990), the first postwar prime minister of Japan. Visitors treading in their footsteps today pass through the gate and between racks for ema, wooden votive tablets on which wishes and prayers are written. From there, the path continues through a jungle-like forest of palm trees toward the Motomiya shrine.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.