Japan’s craze for New Age ‘power spots’ appears to be moving from a national level down to localised areas. According to an article in today’s Japan Times, Aomori has come up with no fewer than 58 ‘power spots’ in its prefecture. Of course it would be the height of cynicism to suspect that tourism might have anything to do with this, but it does lead one to wonder how the spots were officially identified by the prefectural bureaucrats. Do they perhaps have their very own Onmyoryo (Office of Yin-Yang) as in days past?
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Sacred crack at the shrine beside Lake Towada, one of the prefecture's power spots
Aomori plugs its ‘power spots’
AOMORI — Aomori Prefecture is promoting 58 areas as “power spots” that tourists can visit to experience their mystery or healing power and energy.
Thirty-seven of the sites are renowned for their natural healing powers, according to the prefecture, including hallowed ground on Mount Osore in the city of Mutsu. The other 21 sites have been designated mystery zones and include “Jesus Christ’s grave” in the village of Shingo.
The prefecture has also designated certain shrines, springs and even trees as power spots. The downward slope of Atomodori Zaka in the town of Hashikami is a “mystery zone” as under certain conditions people feel they are walking uphill.
However, the move has made some locals uneasy. “We have concerns that there will be more people visiting our shrine without earnest motives,” said Kiyotsugu Matsuhashi, a priest at Takayama Inari Shrine in Tsugaru.
Utoh Jinja, Aomori. The shrine was formerly much more extensive, spreading down to the sea shore. The 'utou' is a bird, and the Utou clan leader founded the shrine some time around Kammu's campaign to subdue the northern Emish.
Head priest of the Utoh Jinja, now a power spot. I got the impression that his predecessors installed the daughters of Amaterasu as kami in order to show his allegiance to the Yamato clan.
Aomori's most famous power spot: Mt Osore, which supposedly resembles the Buddhist hell because of the sulphuric gas and desolate landscape
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