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.
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.
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.
Cinematic
Akiyoshidai: Lunar Landscape of Jagged Rocks
Perched at 300 meters in the mountains of Yamaguchi, the Akiyoshidai plateau presents a breathtaking karst landscape of towering limestone formations, majestic cliffs and expansive grassy plains.
Some hiking
Jinjo-ji: Ancient Shrine Lost in the Mountains
Dans le fin fond de la campagne rurale japonaise, on tombe parfois sur des endroits qui semblent figés dans le temps. Le temple Jinjoji à Shimonoseki en fait clairement partie.
