Aomori Prefecture in northeastern Japan is promoting local areas with mysterious characteristics as ''power spots'' for tourists. The prefectural government has picked 58 such locations -- 37 power spots that said to be a source of healing power and energy, including the hallow ground on Mt. Osore in the city of Mutsu, and 21 mystery zones, including ''Jesus Christ's grave'' in the village of Shingo.
It has also named certain shrines, trees and springs as power spots. The downward slope of ''Atomodori Zaka'' in the town of Hashikami is a mystery zone because it feels like it is upward under certain conditions. ''We hope there will be more tourists from the Tokyo metropolitan area as access has improved since the full opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen Line,'' a prefectural official said. The prefectural government has distributed 13,000 promotional handouts on these spots at events and other occasions in Tokyo and surrounding areas. However, people from some of the mystery spots feel uneasy. ''We have concerns that there will be more people visiting our shrine without earnest motives,'' said Kiyotsugu Matsuhashi, a priest at Shinto's Takayama Inari Shrine in the city of Tsugaru. Ryugen Oda, chief priest at Seiryu Temple in the city of Aomori, which is known for its 21-meter Buddha statue, said, ''This place is a pure temple. It is a place to gain serenity of mind, but I feel strange when it is called a power spot.''
Published on Monday, 30 January 2012
