Chikubu Island, the Island of the Gods Is Sacred and Secluded in Shiga Prefecture

Chikubu Island, known in Nagahama City as the "Island of the Gods," is located off the northern shore of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. It has been known since ancient times for the beauty of its scenery and for its small Shinto Shirine and Buddhist Temple. The island is unpopulated and thought to have its own benevolent spiritual energy and may even grant wishes.

Climbing the stairs brings you to the Buddhist temple of Hogonji, dating back to 724. Nearby there is Tsukubusuma-jinja Shrine. The temple and shrine reflect the confluence of the two religions in Japan over 1,000 years. The temple on the island, Hogonji, sells cute, small Daruma dolls dedicated to Benzaiten, which are said to provide a year's worth of luck. You can write your wish on a slip of paper, then buy a red Daruma doll that will pray for your wish for a year. At Tsukubusuma Shrine, you can throw small clay discs called "kawarake," which are said to make your wishes come true through the hard-to-reach Miyazaki Torii, a shrine gate, for good luck.