Off to Mori-machi, Enshu’s Little Kyoto – Visiting Oguni Shrine and the ‘Home of eBikes’

Mori-machi, known as Enshu’s Little Kyoto. It’s the birthplace of eBikes, famous for my favorite chestnut yokan, and even home to the Million Pedal Park run by my colleagues. I’d been curious about it for ages but it always felt a bit far to visit. This time, I finally made it to Oguni Shrine!

The shrine was much larger and more majestic than I expected!

Since I headed to Mori-machi without doing much research, I wasn’t even sure where the wagashi shops were. So, I decided to start by visiting the famous Oguni Shrine. Because I hadn’t looked it up beforehand, I was genuinely surprised by its size and solemn atmosphere. I can’t believe such a magnificent place was so close by…

Inside the shrine grounds, there was a display about Mori-machi being the birthplace of eBikes, and even some eBikes on exhibit!

I thought it was quite interesting to see such an exhibition right within the shrine grounds. The electric bicycle “PAS” was born here in Mori-machi in 1993, and eBike drive units are still produced here today. It makes me happy to see the town actively promoting this heritage.

The main hall (Haiden) of Oguni Shrine is a hip-and-gable roof structure, rebuilt in 1886. Its cypress bark roof is incredibly beautiful, inspiring a sense of reverence when offering prayers. After praying, I decided to visit the Doreikan (Earth Bell Museum), which opened this summer and displays clay bells collected from all over Japan.

There were clay bells of all shapes and sizes, some even making me chuckle!

The Doreikan is a small building, but inside, I was amazed by the sheer variety of clay bells on display – I never knew they came in so many different shapes! There were bells designed with faces that had indescribable expressions, and even some modeled after candy boxes. It really felt like anything goes!