There is so much beauty in the Japan countryside. Get out of the major cities, and you find beauty everywhere, mountains, rivers, beaches. And Japan is blessed with 4 seasons, accentuating the beauty 4 fold, every season bringing unique and outstanding vistas.
Travelling to Izu this weekend did not disappoint. We found our hotel situated on the bank of the Kano River. Our room had a view looking across the river to a mountain which immediately climbed out the river’s opposite bank. Its spring, the mountain is covered in lush greenery, and the river is running noisily, like the sound of heavy rain, the combination of which brings a peaceful serenity.
Again I am left wondering how the Japan country side can be left undiscovered, for as I experience this country, I am often the only person to be enjoying the beauty that surrounds. No crowds, no queues, no one. And like today, I find its not that this place has been undiscovered, it is that this place has been forgotten, with reminders everywhere of more prosperous days gone before. The truth is, the Japan countryside villages are dying. With Japan’s aging and declining population, and after years of economic stagnation, it should not be that surprising. But each time, I stumble across a village like I did today, I can’t help but feel sad, for its buildings and infrastructure boarded up, covered in vines and in decay, crying out to be loved and have their youth back, and wondering why no one ever comes to visit them any more.
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Nice post. I often find, too, that if you're traveling in off-season, which is most of the time, you find many places pretty empty.
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It's really hard to describe the sadness and regret that the country side must have. It's easy to see what it must have been like, relics to the past everywhere, reminding us of how much excitement that must have been had during its youth.
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From the stories I've heard, the boom time here was HUGE. A lot of what we see deteriorating now is probably just the leftovers of a very small period of time.
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You are exactly right, boom time was huge, and now we just see memories thereof.
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I can just agree with you. The rural side of Japan is very nice and got a lot of beautiful sights to offer. I've followed you to get more of this :) Feel free to do the same ;)
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Following you!
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