Some hiking
Arato-jinja, Where the Woods Begin
At the end of a narrowing road, among the giant cedars of Niimi (Okayama), a torii, then a medieval shrine resting on stones. At Arato-jinja, the forest takes its time preparing the entrance.
Easy walk
Fukiya Furusato, the Red Mining Village
An old copper town perched at 550 metres in the mountains of Okayama, Fukiya still wears on every facade the red bengara pigment it once made. A walk through the reddest village in Japan.
Easy walk
Beppu Benten Pond, Blue Without a Filter
Cobalt water welling up beneath a shrine, an old man who appeared in a dream, and stones that turn red under the surface. At Beppu Benten Pond in Yamaguchi, geology makes the colour and Benzaiten collects the thanks.
Haunting
Okunoshima: The Island of Rabbits Who Sniffed Gas
Hop aboard the ferry to Okunoshima, a small island in the Inland Sea that blends urban exploration tourism, a pack of cute rabbits, and a dark historical past!
Easy walk
Mizuki Shigeru Road: Meeting the Yokai
An 800-meter promenade in Sakaiminato lined with bronze statues of yokai characters honors manga artist Shigeru Mizuki and his world of GeGeGe no Kitaro.
Easy walk
Abuto Kannon, at the Edge of the Void
A red pavilion clinging to a cliff above the Seto Inland Sea, a railing far too low, and hundreds of votive breasts on the walls: at Abuto Kannon, sailors and mothers have prayed side by side for four centuries.
Easy walk
Unrin-ji: A Meow-istic Trip
A Zen temple overrun with carved wooden cats, an otherworldly legend, and me standing in the middle, ready to meow with joy.
Some hiking
Taikodani Inari Shrine: Vermilion Night Dive
263 steps, nearly 1000 torii, and a red that stays in your eyes. Taikodani Inari Shrine leaves an imprint; its vermilion arches align as a visual protective charm.
Easy walk
Hagi, the Calm Before Meiji
An old castle town on the Sea of Japan: empty lanes, white walls, and citrus in the samurai gardens, in the place where Japan tipped into the Meiji era.
