GOSHOGAWARA, Japan --


"Airmen Adventures" is a 6-month print series to accompany Misawa Air Base's alcohol awareness campaign, "Another Day Wasted?" Each story will detail a young Airman's travels to various cities in Japan, with transportation, attraction and cost details. This initiative is implemented in hopes of giving Airmen at Misawa a guide to travel outside the gate and explore Japan -- instead of spending another day wasted.
 
During the week, I write stories that highlight Airmen, airpower and the advancements to quality of life our Airmen make here on Misawa Air Base. As a junior-enlisted member, my weekends and any free time are very important, so once the weekend comes, I high-tail it off base to explore new and interesting parts of Japan.

With a four-day-weekend courtesy of Labor Day, I traveled to the western side of the Aomori Prefecture for a visit to a shrine and a brief history lesson.

My destination was a town named Goshogawara, known for its own Nebuta festival (Tachineputa) and the Takayama Inari shrine - home to more than 200 torii gates.

As part of a "Welcome to Misawa", newcomers are given a tour of the local area and parts of its neighboring city, Hachinohe. This tour includes a visit to a shrine where visitors are instructed on how to perform certain ritualistic pleasantries and given a taste of what an authentic shrine and temple has to offer.

Each shrine is different when it comes to its rituals, deities who protect it and souvenirs sold, but at the heart of it all, they all offer a safe-haven for travelers and sight-seers and a chance to find some inner peace.

Although my arrival to Misawa was a hazy nine months ago, the desire to explore and learn new things about Japan's cultural history has stuck with me, daring me to find these seemingly hidden shrines and temples.

With the Takayama Inari shrine in my crosshairs and an approximate driving time of three hours , I chose to start both my trip and morning with a boost of caffeine from an unknown Kanji-laden energy drink.

For this trip, I opted to take the scenic route through the country side. This allowed me to drive through both the nearby town of Towada and the gorgeous city of Hirosaki before reaching my destination.

Thanks to the energy drink, it also enabled me to make frequent stops at various convenient stores for "relief."

While at these different stops, I made conversation with other travelers. I asked them what kind of place this Inari shrine was like, what kind of landmarks to look for and other friendly questions.

The information I received from these helpful passersby was very informative!

I learned the Takayama Inari shrine lies hidden in a small burg named Shariki, located between the towns of Tsugaru and Goshogawara, and is famous for its massive, winding trail of more than 200 torii gates.

The shrine is protected by the Japanese deity (kami) O-Inari, the fox who tends to a multitude of things including rice, sake, fertility and agriculture.

Jittery and slightly confused as to where I was going after driving around a dense forest area, an opening was revealed and my apprehension turned to relief.

I was greeted by a towering torii gate, approximately 50 feet tall with numerous fox statues surrounding an ornately crafted temple. I was in the right place.

Meandering toward the entrance, I was then greeted by something of a slightly more sinister nature; a set of ascending stairs that numbered more than 100 and literally, "escalated quickly."

It was then when I hoped my Zumba routine would bail me out.

Reaching the top of the staircase, winded and briefly throwing my hands in the air like Rocky Balboa, a new sight was brought into view.

Various shrines of all sizes were laid out, seemingly untouched by time or people, their presence trapped in feudal Japan. Foxes in neckerchiefs were scattered around the area, some surrounding micro-shrines, others as the subject of the shrines.

I'm still not sure if it was because I was the only person there or some otherworldly sensation at play, but there wasn't a sound for what seemed like miles.

Both relaxing and slightly eerie, it was made abundantly clear to me why these shrines are as pristine as they are; they are holy ground.

Descending the staircase from the opposite side, I then was able to get a good look at something I had only seen peeking through the foliage and shrines-- the dragon-like row of torii gates.

These gates, standing at roughly six-feet tall allowed for me to just barely squeak under them, and provided a very cool tunnel vision-like experience. It led me to an elevated scenic outlook of the area and the gates I had just crossed under.

Snapping a couple more pictures of the area, I decided my welcome at the shrine was overdue and headed toward the entrance. Echoing what I was taught on the initial Misawa tour, I performed the prayer ritual, rang the bell and left the area without a trace.

My trip to the Inari shrine was both informative and spiritual. In America, there really isn't anything that matches the experience of visiting a shrine. These hidden passages of time are an important part of the culture and the Japanese people visit shrines for reasons ranging from marriage, to the birth of a child and even for good luck for an impending school year.

For us who are just visiting, it simply allows us a look into something bigger than ourselves. Maybe even something within ourselves.

I don't know where I will travel next, but you can bet I'll meditate on it.