Spiritland

Obama is blessed with one of the highest ratio’s of temples to residents in all of Japan. Each tiny hamlet tucked neatly into the folds and valleys of the hills that surround has its own distinct traditions sites and approaches to worship. Many of these sites remain completely unknown to neighbors born and raised just a kilometer or two away. Taranosho is a good example. Home to a couple of ‘micro villages’, it hides several treasures, not the least of which is the spectacular moss cover stone step approach to Choeiji temple. The terraced rice fields below offer breathtaking views across the valley floor to the mountains beyond.