Osorezan and Cape Shiriyazaki

We took a tour that the base offers to see Osorezan, "Fear Mountain." It included a trip to the cape on the northern tip of Japan's mainland. Wild horses live there, and they are unique in that they have short legs and stocky bodies to keep them warm in the harsh winters. 

The main attraction was Osorezan, a Buddhist temple on an eerily barren landscape. The Japanese believe it to be the gateway to the afterlife or a place where souls go before they can pass on. It was definitely unlike any other place I have been. Sulfur gases oozing out of the ground make the air smell rotten, and a quiet stillness makes you feel like you are in another world. There are several statues of "Jizo", which, from what I read, is a deity that protects souls from demons while waiting to cross into the afterlife.

Good luck talismans and pinwheels are left for loved ones that have passed, and coins and prayers are offered to the Jizo statues in hopes that he will protect them.