Shrine Maiden at Kasuga Taisha

Another example of me going for the view no one else seemed to see...

My group was gathered listening to the guide talk about the shrine when suddenly a door slid open and this young girl walked out and made her way up the stairs. I don't think anyone noticed her but me, so I quietly took this.

The shrine maidens are all sweet young girls who assist the Shinto priests with various duties, or sell lucky charms and souvenirs to the visitors, or give you your fortune. I had mine told here and it was "Moderately Good Fortune".

If I could 'do over' one thing about my trip, I think it would be to get more spontaneous photos like these of the people. I only pretty much started doing it this particular day, sneaking photos of the Japanese people just being themselves. You'll see more as I continue posting, but it's something I wish I'd gotten doing earlier in the trip.