Episode 58 - Where the deities live

This is Shinsennuma.

The Japanese word "shinsen" means deity; and "numa" means bog or marsh.
















According to the notice board set up by the local authorities at Shinsennuma (see photo), this place was discovered in 1928 by Toyomatsu Shimoda and his assistants during a search for training grounds for the youth in the Niseko mountains. Shimoda and his assistants were deeply impressed by the beauty of the numa and considered it to be a place where the deities live. They therefore named it the Shinsennuma.














Shinsennuma is situated near to Hirafu (in where I stayed during the journey). Around the area is the big beautiful mountain Youteizan and a lake named Hangetsuko. The distance between Hirafu and Shinsennuma is around 10 km. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes' drive from Hirafu to here, using the Panorama line (this is where I met the sun-bathing fox). The nearest railway station is the Niseko Station (see photo. A beautiful station, isn't it?). As Shinsennuma is up in the mountains, it is not easily accessible for travellers without a car.

Shinsennuma is always foggy. Visitors walk carefully on the boardwalk, greeting each other with "Konichiwa".