Although I had passed by it many times, I had never used Nogizaka Station or the street in Nogizaka, and instead, I would only pass by the road above it, between Roppongi and Aoyama. So, I had always overlooked the existence of Nogizaka Shrine, but I remembered hearing the name often, and since I had never been there, I decided to stop by on my way.

Despite not being very large, the grounds had a wedding ceremony taking place, and there was the former residence of the Nogizaka clan. It was surprisingly well-equipped, which is perhaps rude to say, but it was more substantial than I expected. It is a shrine that enshrines figures from the Meiji era, so its history is relatively recent, and it also enshrines figures from the Choshu domain of the same era. There is also a small Inari shrine within the grounds, and Inari shrines everywhere tend to have a strong association with business prosperity and fox spirits, but this one didn't have that strong "animal" smell; it felt more like a sophisticated, urban fox spirit. The other areas were quite ordinary, and there were no particular negative feelings, and the air was clean, which is rare for a city, and it felt like a well-managed and solid shrine. It is located in the city, so you shouldn't expect too much, but having such a relatively clean place in the hustle and bustle of the city is probably a valuable thing.

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