![]() I checked my own watch and was surprised to see that it was indeed exactly two o’clock. Curiously, there was a clock hanging at the apex of the roof – an ordinary round, simple, plastic clock, the kind that might hang in any kitchen anywhere in the world. The pathway gradually became narrower with wild vines and weeds crossing my path, and the temperature continued to drop as I entered further into the dense bamboo forest.Īfter some time, I came to an open space in the midst of the bamboo grove and there was small wayside shrine like you see everywhere in Japanese neighbourhoods and by the side of the road. It was a warm day in September, yet as I walked up the long stairway towards the main temple, I felt a chill run through me that made me shiver.Īfter visiting the main temple, I proceeded on up the pathway to explore the mountain behind and take the pathway to the Oku-no-in, the innermost sacred precinct of the temple, first passing many ancient statues, their faces features blurred with time and covered in moss. I want share however one particular day when I was on pilgrimage by myself and visited Ichijoji, a temple not far from Himeji city, in Hyogo prefecture. Yet within that liminal space pilgrims will always experience many emotions and sensations that they cannot explain and which will bring awe, wonderment, puzzled skepticism and sometimes very real fear of the unknown. This sensation has been experienced by many fellow pilgrims who I have escorted on pilgrimage, foreigners who are not necessarily interested in Buddhism but are engaging in an interesting journey into the hinterlands of Japan, participating in a living ancient tradition. When entering the precincts of many of these ancient sites, it feels as though you are quite literally stepping through a misty veil into a liminal space that is beyond here and now, yet somehow even more luminously real. ![]() These sacred places have been visited by pilgrims for over a thousand years and were probably established on sites that were sacred before that. I have undertaken the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage many times and I am the only foreigner designated as an official pilgrimage guide (sendatsu). I also told you she was really interesting and had cool experiences. Her story about ghostly land and the oharai was the first one I read in our little series. Welcome back, okay are you ready to get into today’s stories? Yeah, me, too. ![]() ![]() But today, we have more what the?! and eyebrow raising tales to hear. From next episode, we’ll be business as usual with something new I have up my sleeve. Here we are on the fourth and final installment of our Listeners’ True Spooky Tales. Hello there, this is Thersa Matsuura and you’re listening to Uncanny Japan. ![]()
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