Pagan & Shinto News: Shinto shrine’s gate in Kumamoto finally restored to former glory

Top stories of the week in Paganism and Shinto:

• Shrine’s gate in Kumamoto finally restored to former glory
• Most Japanese want to preserve festivals, but are split on deference to tradition
• US: Pagan singer Kenyan Hippie fears for her life as she releases new song

And more – see below…

Pagan News

US: Pagan singer Kenyan Hippie fears for her life as she releases new song
The Standard
Following the publication of her controversial content on being a modern-day pagan as well as her disassociation with the Black Lives Matter movement, Florida-based singer Kenyan Hippie now says she fears for her life…

UK: ‘White Witch’ of Rugby opens enchanting Aladdin’s Cave at home healing sanctuary
Warwickshire World
A ‘white witch’ who lives in Rugby has expanded her business to help people create a sanctuary in their own homes…

Shinto News

Shrine’s gate in Kumamoto finally restored to former glory
The Asahi Shimbun
The Romon gate of the Asojinja shrine was unveiled in late June, restored to its former magnificence after being damaged in the Kumamoto earthquake in April 2016…

Matsuri future: Most Japanese want to preserve festivals, but are split on deference to tradition
Nippon.com
As Japan’s local festivals restart after the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey found people wanted them to keep going, but many supported making changes to keep them inclusive…

Why 2023 will be a deciding year for Japan’s iconic summer festivals
The Japan Times*
As the population gets older do we risk losing the summer festivals that make Japan unique?…

Kyoto’s spectacular Gion Festival attracts hundreds of thousands
The Mainichi
Some hundreds of thousands of people are flocking to this ancient Japanese capital to enjoy the festive atmosphere at the traditional Gion Festival, which is being held on a full-scale basis for the first time in four years…

Adrenaline rush with handheld fireworks display at Aichi shrine
The Asahi Shimbun
The spectacular Toyohashi Gion Matsuri festival, one of the most eye-catching summer events in Japan, features handheld “tube” fireworks that explode in a shower of fiery sparks…

Spectacles of pageantry, worship, and vengeful spirits
Nippon.com
Japan’s love of defining the “three greatest” in each category extends, of course, to its festivals. A look at three top summer events in Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo and the history of spirit-pacification behind them…

This summer festival in Akita will feature Japan’s tallest lanterns
Time Out
One of them is as tall as a six-storey building, and you can see them at Noshiro city’s Tanabata festival in August…

Natsumatsuri – the Summer Festival in anime and life
Lost In Anime
There are many reasons why summer is a busy season for festivals…

Editorial: Tokyo should rethink plan to cut down historical trees for redevelopment project
The Mainichi
Officials in charge of a redevelopment plan for the outer garden area of Tokyo’s Meiji Jingu Shinto shrine, known as Meiji Jingu Gaien, recently held a briefing for residents…

The British botanist who helped revive Japan’s seaweed industry
The Japan Times*
Each year in Kyushu, dozens of people gather at a seafront shrine to honor a British botanist who never visited the country but is credited with revitalizing its crucial seaweed industry…

Guardian deities blend in with moss garden at Kyoto temple
The Asahi Shimbun
Open leaves on the juniper haircap moss give it a glossier appearance, while foam nests of eggs from forest green tree frogs hang from branches of camellias at the side of a pond…

Other News

Greek gods come to life in archaeological finds from Turkey
Greek Reporter
A recent archaeological discovery in Turkey resulted in the unearthing of dozens of terracotta figurines depicting ancient Greek gods, men, women, and animals…

The fiery row behind Europe’s mythological heatwave names
BBC
Two sweltering heatwaves in Europe have been named Cerberus and Charon, but there is no internationally-agreed naming system for these events – and some experts fear it could be counterproductive…

Italy: Kitchen shrine serpents and more fascinating new Pompeii discoveries
BBC
A kitchen shrine adorned with serpents, a bakery, human skeletons, exquisite frescos, and yes, a picture of something that looks very much like pizza. These are among the new finds being turned up at the Pompeii Archaeological Park…

UK: ‘No justification’ for £1.7bn Stonehenge road tunnel that is a ‘waste’ of taxpayer’s money, say critics
National World
A £1.7 billion project to build an underground road tunnel near Stonehenge has been slated as a “waste of money” and a “pointless project” while the UK faces a cost of living crisis…

UK: PM Rishi Sunak visits Stonehenge of the North
Agg-Net
Historic England and English Heritage, along with representatives from Tarmac, met Rishi Sunak last week to give him a tour of Thornborough Henges, one of the UK’s most important prehistoric sites…

UK: Wiltshire named crop circle hotpspot after recent sighting
Salisbury Journal
Wiltshire has been named as the country’s number one hotspot for the appearance of mysterious crop circles…

An ancient Greek myth, retold brilliantly by a TikTok star
The Telegraph*
Feminist retellings of Greek myths may be in vogue – but Bea Fitzgerald’s debut novel on Persephone still feels like a breath of fresh air…

Marchesa and Pronovias collaborate on a Greek goddess-inspired bridal collection
Vogue
For Marchesa and Pronovias, (a bridalwear portfolio of brands that includes Nicole Milano, Ladybird, and Vera Wang Bride among others) the duo leaned into the fantasy of Greek goddesses to recreate Marchesa couture designs restyled into 21 different romantic wedding dresses…

‘Witch Hunts’ Past & Present

Namibia: Secretary beaten over ‘witchcraft’ allegations
New Era Live
A 45-year-old secretary at Onyeka combined school was assaulted by parents for allegedly ‘practising witchcraft’…

UK: New Fringe show to see artist ‘commune’ with burned witches of Scotland
The National*
It is five years since Mulrooney first brought Growler to the stage and she is bringing her to Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival this year where she will “commune” with women who were burned as witches in Scotland…