Second Life: Japanese Shrines and Temples

  At one time I wanted to do the Shikoku pilgrimage in Japan; however, that is no longer possible for me.  So, I was delighted to find that there are events in Second Life where I could do a virtual tour of Japanese temples and shrines and get Goshuin stamps as I visited each one.

The sponsors and supporters of the event 

generously provide stamp books, textures, animations,

 and even a large display board where you can

 paste all your Goshuin stamp textures.

The current event is the Summer Goshuin Event August 1st to 14th, 2024; however there have been other events in the past and I expect there will be more in the future.  

Here is List of Shrines for the current event. Some of these may be open only for the event, and other temples or shrines may also offer Goshuin stamps even if they are not part of the official event.

According to Japan Travel, in Japan Shrines with torii gates are built to serve the Shinto religious tradition, and Temples are built to serve the Buddhist religious tradition.

In Second Life there are many traditional Shrines and Temples, but there are some that do not follow tradition.

For example, the Kusanagi Shrine, also known as Kusanagi Jinja, enshrines the three deities of creation in Second Life: Philip Rosedale, Purimusuhi The Master of Prim, and Tekusuchiyahime The Goddess of Texture.

Inside the Shrine at Kusanagi. The cube in the back is a prim made by Philip Rosedale/Linden.

Displaying a stamp book with the stamp I got at the Itame Station Shrine. This is one of at least two shrines dedicated to the God Hamster.

The Nekoraku Jinja is taken over by cats.

The Donguri Jinja is the Little Shrine of Tiny Animals Who Worship Acorns.

The Cypress Shrine offered lessons in Japanese.

There were over 30 Shrines and Temples participating in the current event. In visiting the different places I often experienced feelings of awe at the incredible detail of the builds and the beauty of the landscaping. 

Reading my fortune (Neko Omikuji No. 1) at the Kumoshima Shrine, where the environment is the beautiful Summer Sunset time.  I hope the future holds more Goshuin events.