Osorezan

Osorezan means the mountain of fear, and the setting does the work: a caldera on the Shimokita peninsula with a strongly acidic lake at its centre, bare grey ground, steam and sulphur vents, no vegetation over large areas, and a smell that carries. Bodaiji, founded in the ninth century, stands in the middle of it. Japanese Buddhist tradition counts this among the entrances to the other world, and the landscape was read as a literal image of it - the Sanzu river crossed by a red bridge at the entrance, hells named among the vents, and the white sand shore of the lake as the Pure Land beyond them. Visitors pile stones as offerings for children who died, and pinwheels are left across the ash. In July and October, itako - blind female mediums - attend the festivals, and people queue to have them speak for the dead. Free hot spring huts stand in the grounds.

History

The name comes from the Ainu language and was later changed to match the Japanese osore, "dread", probably because of the desolate volcanic ground; the Ainu original may have been usori, or ushoro, "gulf, large bay" (Wikipedia, Mount Osore).

Highlights

• A sulphur caldera - bare ground, vents and an acidic lake, with the smell of it.
• Bodaiji - a ninth-century temple standing in the middle of the crater.
• Stone piles and pinwheels - offerings left across the ash for the dead.
• Itako - mediums attending the July and October festivals to speak for the dead.

When to go

May to October; July or October for the festivals. Half a day.

What to expect

The site closes entirely from November to April. Hydrogen sulphide is strong and unpleasant, and unsuitable for some with respiratory conditions. It is a working religious site where people are grieving - photograph with care. The peninsula is remote and buses are few.

Nearby

Hotokegaura cliffs are west on the same peninsula; Mutsu is south.