The Chichibu region in Saitama Prefecture is known for its deep Shinto and Shugendo roots, as well as its Buddhist 34-temple Kannon Pilgrimage. The city of Chichibu, about 90 minutes train ride northwest from Ikebukuro, Tokyo, has a population of approximately 60,000. The region, which sits in the shadow of Mount Buko and alongside the Arakawa river is steeped in tradition with more than 300 festivals taking place each year.

So I was honored to be invited by Michael Pye, president of the International Shinto Studies Association to participate in a guided field excursion to Chichibu in April. The goal of such tours is for the participants to "broaden the knowledge about Shinto in living contexts, and to deepen their understanding of the roles which it plays in local communities," says Pye.

Although many of the cherry blossoms had long blown off their branches, the shidare-zakura (weeping cherry trees) were in full bloom, their willow-type branches cascading like pink flower fountains making for a lovely walk among the old Edo Period (1603-1868)dwellings. Chichibu was a major trading center for silk during the Edo Period and many of these old shops can still be seen lining the roads. One can easily imagine fields laden with mulberry trees, the leaves of which were fed to silkworms to produce the silk.