SUWA, NAGANO PREF. ¨C Kiyoshi Miyasaka climbs the stone steps of his shrine, autumn leaves crunching under his feet. The Shinto priest, dressed in white, aims an orange leaf blower at a row of cobblestones and clears the path of fallen leaves.
¡°I know people would rather see a lone priest sweeping up with his broom,¡± he says. ¡°But we¡¯re a bit more modern than that, and frankly, I can¡¯t get to all the leaves otherwise.¡±
It is an unseasonably warm November morning. The trees only changed shades a few weeks ago, and the steep hill behind the shrine looks as though it¡¯s on fire. The 69-year-old eventually puts down the roaring machine and sweeps up the lingering leaves into neat piles. Then he changes into formal robes to offer a tray of rice, sake, salt and water at the shrine¡¯s altar, and begins his prayers.
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