Previously, I used to take walks around the Nikko area several times a year, but it's been a while since I last went, so I went for the first time in two years.

The other day, after visiting Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo, I suddenly had the image of visiting temples in Tokyo in the order of "South -> East -> North -> West," so I stopped by Kanda Myojin Shrine (South), then visited Naritasan Shinshojiteru (East), and this time, I decided to visit the temples in Nikko (North) as a tourist.

However, I've always personally felt that there's a problem with the people involved in the tourism industry in Nikko, even though the nature there is wonderful. About 5% of the people I meet (subjectively) glare at me or act aggressively, which happened again this time. The frequency of encountering such people is too high.

Despite that, I visited the places I needed to visit.

▪️Nikko Toshogu Shrine

At Nikko Toshogu Shrine, I simply asked a male priest a single question, and he deliberately said "Aaa???" in a loud voice, showing an irritated expression with a "frowning face" like a manga character, glared at me with piercing eyes, and shouted "It's ○○!" as if spitting it out. Is this the attitude of someone who serves the gods? I just asked where something was. There really are priests at Nikko Toshogu Shrine who engage in "lordly" behavior. It's one thing for tourism staff, but this is a staff member at Nikko Toshogu Shrine, which is a World Heritage Site, and he's a priest. It's only in places like Nikko where you see staff members acting so blatantly with such terrible behavior. Moreover, it goes without saying that staff members of a World Heritage Site should not behave in this way. Vaguely, I remember that when I came about 30 years ago, I was treated badly by a priest at Toshogu Shrine, but it seems that the "lordly" behavior at Nikko Toshogu Shrine has not changed, even though it was a long time ago. It's not everyone, but some of the male staff members are problematic. Women are fine.

It's often said in spiritual circles that "Nikko Toshogu Shrine has bad energy," but, (despite having such terrible staff), I actually think that the energy there is much better now than it was 20-30 years ago or 10 years ago. When I came about 30 years ago, Toshogu Shrine had a relatively bad energy (atmosphere), and I felt like there might even be a minor evil spirit, so my mood was quite strange. Now, there are more tourists than before, and even though it's so crowded and in a state of overtourism, it's amazing that it can maintain such a normal energy. The land, buildings, and power of the gods and Buddhas in Nikko should not have changed from before, but perhaps the lack of people due to the pandemic has restored the energy, or perhaps (unbeknownst to us), someone with high ability is performing rituals to raise the energy. I wonder what it is. The presence of even one high-ability shrine maiden would make a significant difference.

Looking back, perhaps the staff member who was treated so poorly was isolated to a small shop in a separate building away from the main hall because of the priest's behavior. If that's the case, it might be considered appropriate treatment. This is just my imagination, but it's possible.

▪️Nikko Futarasan Shrine
The staff at Nikko Futarasan Shrine, located near the Toshogu Shrine, have relatively normal behavior. There's a slightly blunt tone in their responses, but it's neither good nor bad. It's more like indifference or coldness, but perhaps that's what it is. There's nothing particularly terrible that happened. This shrine is related to both Mount Nantai and Mount Nyoho, and perhaps because of the mountain worship, there's a sense of sacredness. However, since it's next to Toshogu Shrine, there are many visitors, so it seems like a relatively normal shrine when viewed from this perspective.

▪️Rinno-ji Temple
There are two locations of Rinno-ji Temple near Toshogu Shrine, and they are relatively normal temples. You won't be treated poorly here; they provide normal temple service. I believe it was the same in the past.

▪️Takio Shrine
Takio Shrine (located further in from Nikko Futarasan Shrine and Rinno-ji Temple) seems quiet and retains a traditional atmosphere. Before the construction of Toshogu Shrine, the area around Takio Shrine was the main pilgrimage site and the residence of Shugendo practitioners. Even though it's a short walk, you can feel the clean air.

▪️Bus Driver
What's particularly bad in Nikko is the bus drivers. In the past, 30 years ago, bus drivers were always like tough guys, and they would constantly yell at passengers, even without doing anything. However, the bus driver I rode on this time was a "tough guy" who had become much more well-behaved than before, but he was still a little irritable, just like in the past.

At this point, it's almost a characteristic of Nikko.
It's truly a place where "lordly" business practices are common. However, I did see a tendency towards improvement.

In other tourist destinations, you rarely encounter such people; at most, it's less than 1%, and often you don't see them at all. Therefore, I personally think that the rate of encountering "tough guys" in Nikko is abnormally high.

In terms of personality, it's similar to the roughness of the parishioners at Suwa Shrine.
Well, if you think of it that way, you can keep your distance, so to speak, and avoid getting too close.