Wander up the hill from the gently clacking bamboo that lines the pathway of the Arashiyama bamboo grove in Kyoto, and you come to a shrine with a small wooden torii gate.
It’s not showy, you could even walk past it without noticing if you were in a hurry, which is kind of ironic as this is the Mikami shrine: a shrine to appearance. Specifically, the protection of beautiful hair. To the right of the altar, tied to rows of nails by bits of red string, is a sea of prayer plaques. Look closely and you’ll realise they’re shaped
