Chiyobo Inari-jinja, Shinto shrine in Kaizu, Japan

Chiyobo Inari-jinja is a Shinto shrine in Kaizu, Japan, dedicated to Inari Okami and known locally as Ochyobo-san. The shrine sits on the slope of a small dune and features a main hall, a stone that visitors lift to test their wishes, and a large tree studded with nails and shoes for a foot-stopping prayer.

The shrine traces its origin to the Heian period, when a descendant received a sacred sword and a portrait from his father with the instruction to protect the ancestral spirits for a thousand generations. In the Muromachi period, a later descendant enshrined the ancestral deity at this location, and the shrine has been maintained by successive generations since.

Visitors often offer fried tofu tied with rice straw along with coins, a practice tied to the fox messengers of Inari. The shopping street leading to the shrine sells lucky charms and local snacks like skewered cutlets and sweet rice dumplings, which people enjoy while strolling.

The shrine is busiest during the New Year holidays and on the 15th of each month, so visit on a weekday morning for a more relaxed experience. The grounds are compact and mostly flat, with a few steps, and the approach from the bus stop passes through a lively shopping street.

Unlike many shrines, this one does not sell paper charms or amulets; instead, visitors buy fried tofu and candles at the bottom of the steps for their offerings. The large tree near the stone is covered with shoes nailed to it, a practice for stopping people from leaving or helping lost ones return.