By Kanji Usui
I took a four-day trip to Miyazaki last Friday, with Takachiho as the main destination w
As you may know, Takachiho in particular is said to be the stage of Japanese mythology, and it's a place that mythologists love—with important shrines scattered throughout, including the shrine associated with the famous legend of Ama-no-Iwato.
By the way, when you visit shrines or temples, I'm sure you offer prayers. What kinds of wishes do you make?
As for me, I make it a point to pray, "Please guide me so that I may use this life for the sake of the world and its people."
The reason is this: even if gods truly exist, would they really go out of their way to grant personal desires like "I want to become rich" or "I want to live an easy life"? Rather, I think that helping others and making the world a little better would be more "worthwhile to support" from a god's perspective.
Setting aside whether gods exist or not, I found myself thinking during this journey through mythological lands that I want to live in a way that earns support and encouragement from many people.