Traveling is not only possible in the warmer months, it is also fun to be on the road and explore our planet in winter. Snow and cold should never stop you from discovering the country and its people and seeing the world from a completely different perspective. Japan is no exception; the Land of the Rising Sun also develops a very special charm in winter that you should definitely not miss out on.
Especially in the northern regions down to the center of the main island of Honshu, it can get quite cold and snowy in winter. In previous centuries, for many people this time of year was associated with a lot of struggle and hardship, and even these days the heavy snowfall can literally bring life to a standstill in some places.
Nevertheless, it is a great experience to travel through Japan even in the cold season and to experience a completely different, often unfamiliar and unknown side. The impressions you can gather are more intense and memorable and you get a completely different, deeper feeling for this great country here in the Far East.
Some time ago, we had made exactly such a trip, which at the end of winter had taken us to the Aizu region in the west of Fukushima Prefecture. This region consists largely of a vast plateau surrounded on all sides by high mountains. The snow had already receded considerably on the plateau, but a trip into the mountains clearly showed that winter wanted to linger around there even longer.
Our excursion took us to Ochijuku, where I had been before, but at a completely different, much warmer time of year. Ouchijuku (ๅคงๅ ๅฎฟ,) is a former post station on the former Aizu-Nishi Kaido trade route, which in the Edo period connected the Aizu region with Nikko and also with the capital Edo. At that time, people had to travel on foot due to the restrictions imposed by the shogunate, so post stations developed along the various trade routes where travelers could find food and accommodation.
Most of the post stations have long since disappeared, but here in Ochijuku much of the village has been preserved as it was in the Edo period. The telephone and electricity lines have been buried, something you don't normally see in Japan, and the unpaved main street is still lined with wooden houses with thatched roofs housing a variety of stores, restaurants and minshuku (small traditional Japanese inns). The whole thing gives the visitor a fairly authentic insight into the time when the daimyo, the former feudal lords and their samurai were traveling through here.
Daimyo and samurai no longer exist these days, but now you can find a lot of tourists who are often brought here by tour busses. We weren't the only ones in Ochijuku on that winter's day, but at least we didn't come across any large groups of tourists, so we were able to look around quite comfortably.
And once we had walked through this large toori, we had suddenly left all the hustle and bustle behind us. Toori are the names of these distinctive gates that can be found all over Japan at the entrance to Shinto shrines and can be made of wood, concrete or metal. However, they always point to a place behind them that is dedicated to one or more kami, the many gods that can be found everywhere in nature, as in rivers, trees and rocks.
In our case, this large toori marked the way to Takakura-Jinja ้ซๅ็ฅ็คพ, and we spontaneously decided to take a closer look at this shrine.
The way there led us away from the main road and past a few wooden houses...
...and quite quickly out of the village.
We continued along this snow-covered road towards the forest and the hills, where we could already see another Toori in the distance.
This was slightly smaller but had the same shape as the Toori before. This is where we had to pass through on our way to the shrine.
There was a shimenawa hanging from this toori too, a rope made of rice straw, which in Shintล separates our world from the world of the gods, the kami.
On the path ahead of us we found a lot more snow, which had a very inviting effect on me. I was in a really good mood and quite excited about what we were about to see over there.
Next we were standing in front of some snow-covered steps that led up the mountain between many mighty cedar trees. Further back was another toori and behind it you could already see the actual shrine building.
Even though I continued on my way, I didn't forget to look around me so that I didn't miss any of the things to discover off the path, such as these small statues, which may have a Buddhist background.
To the left...
...and to the right of the path were these stone lanterns, called Tooro, which are also typical of all the many shrines and temples that can be found in Japan.
We continued upwards, and I already took a few looks back. The stairs were quite slippery, but it was great fun climbing up here.
Now we had almost made it, and we still had a few last snowy steps left....
...until we finally stood in front of the main building of the shrine.
It is not known when the Takakura jinja was founded, but its origins probably go back 800 or 900 years, to a time when Japan was still ruled by powerful samurai lords and the country was regularly plagued by their wars and feuds.
In earlier times, Takakura Shrine was associated with both Shintoism and Buddhism, but at the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912), the Buddhist influence here was largely eradicated. Thankfully, in modern times Shintoism and Buddhism have managed to harmonize again, which unfortunately cannot be said of most other religions in the world.
We then walked around the shrine, which is something I have gotten into the habit of doing. Most visitors only come herer and stop in front of the main building, pray and then are already on their way back. But walking around the shrine sometimes gives you a few extra impressions that help you understand the place as a whole.
There weren't that many footprints to see, so I don't think too many people had the same idea as I had. But I don't know when I'll be back here next time, so I just had to check it out as I don't want to miss out on anything.
Behind the shrine were a few statues and altars and after that the great forest opened up, which seems to stretch endlessly from here. In one way, this is almost the end of the civilized world; a few metres further on, wild nature begins, in which man will have trouble holding his own.
Here we can see the trunks of a few huge cedars that could have been standing here for several centuries. It is often precisely these trees that the kami live in and for which this particular spot was chosen for the shrine. Whether in summer or winter, these large cedars always and everywhere create an extremely majestic atmosphere that truly does justice to the purpose and occasion of this place.
We then went back the same way we had come. This time we had to be even more careful not to slip on the icy steps and tumble down the mountain.
Between the big cedars we passed the small Toori again...
...next to which there was an extremely charming view of the forest. I came here precisely because of these great views and that's why I didn't forget to look around in all directions over and over again.
And now we were almost at the bottom. We only had to pass the last two stone lanterns and then we would leave the mountain and the forest behind us.
But I didn't really want to leave. I kept turning around and looking back and would have loved to run back up again. I tried to store up the energy and the special atmosphere that emanated from this shrine and the mighty cedars around it and take it with me.
But we had to go back and continue our journey, as there was still a little more to discover. And so we passed the Toori, through which we had previously entered the forest. The winter scenery behind it was so charming and I was simply looking forward to everything else I was going to see on this wonderful day.
It was probably precisely because of the snow that the landscape around us seemed even more magical than usual. Out here, everything seemed so peaceful and sublime and all the stress and hustle and bustle of everyday life seemed so far away. And although we still had plans for that day, we were fortunately in no hurry and were able to stop here and there, take a closer look and enjoy the countryside and landscape.
And then we were back where we had started. We passed through the large Toori that we had come through at the beginning and were once again in the center of Ochijuku. And as I said, our trip was far from over, we were right in the middle of it and had only made a short detour that had taken us to Takakura Shrine. I was very glad that we had made this excursion and were able to discover and feel this wonderful place.
We continued on through Ochijuku, and then later back out of the mountains to a place where, by the end of the day, there wouldn't be much left to remind us of this winter wonderland. But luckily I have my many photos and memories to remind me of this experience time and again, so that I will never forget it.
And I have a whole host of other photos that I will be happy to share with you here. So be sure to check back soon for new pictures and impressions from the Land of the Rising Sun to avoid you missing anything.
