{"id":127,"date":"2025-05-02T18:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T01:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=127"},"modified":"2025-05-02T18:00:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T01:00:34","slug":"a-daytime-visit-to-tokyos-station-of-despair-to-look-for-demon-lairs%e3%80%90photos%e3%80%91","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=127","title":{"rendered":"A daytime visit to Tokyo\u2019s \u201cstation of despair\u201d to look for demon lairs\u3010Photos\u3011"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Just because this trip to Otsuki didn\u2019t go as planned doesn\u2019t mean it didn\u2019t go well<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in December, we sent our Japanese-language reporter Ahiruneko<\/strong> out to Otsuki Station<\/strong>, or, as it\u2019s also known to those in the Tokyo area, \u201cthe station of despair.\u201d<\/strong><\/a> Located in the town of Otsuki, Yamanashi Prefecture<\/strong>, Otsuki Station gets its nickname by being the last stop on the Chuo Line (Rapid), which also runs through downtown Tokyo and services a number of residential areas in-between. That means that if you\u2019ve been drinking in downtown, or otherwise get on the train in a sleepy state for your ride home and miss your stop, there\u2019s a chance you\u2019ll end up in Otsuki after the last train of the day headed back in the opposite direction has already left, and be forced to find some way to spend the night in this town that gets very quiet once the sun goes down.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But what about when the sun is still up?<\/strong> Despite its ominous-sounding \u201cstation of despair\u201d status, Otsuki isn\u2019t a dangerous or spooky place during the day, and so we sent Ahiruneko back out to Otsuki Station in daylight hours during the Golden Week spring vacation season.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about an hour and a half from Shinjuku Station in downtown Tokyo to Otsuki, or 40 minutes from the west Tokyo suburb of Takao, where Ahiruneko lives. The farther you get from the Tokyo center, the more rural the sights outside your window become<\/strong>. You also get higher into the mountains as you approach Otsuki, and making this trip in the daylight meant Ahiruneko got to see the forested foothills that had blended into the black of the sky at night.<\/p>\n

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Add in the warmth of a spring afternoon, compared to the chill of a cold winter night that he\u2019d had to endure on his previous visit, and Ahiruneko was instantly in a positive mood.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

Even with most of Japan being on vacation, Otsuki still felt quiet and relaxed. After heading out the station\u2019s quaint log cabin-like exit, Ahiruneko took a moment to get his bearings, then, as he so often does when exploring a town<\/a>, went to rent a bicycle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Japan has a few different automated bike rental services that allow you to rent, pay for, and process the return of a bike through an app on your phone. The service Ahiruneko usually uses doesn\u2019t cover the Otsuki area, but before getting on the train he\u2019d found another service, called Pippa<\/strong>, that does, and according to their app they have a rental spot right by Otsuki Station! So Ahiruneko sauntered on over to the location indicated by the app, and\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2026huh<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Instead of bikes, there was just a marked off spot on the pavement, with nothing inside its borders. Ahiruneko was sure he was in the right place, though. Even the Otsuki tourism website he\u2019d looked at said that you could rent bikes here. Maybe they were all already rented out for the day? To investigate, he walked over to the nearby Otsuki Tourist Information Booth<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2026where the person at the counter informed him that the Pippa depot near the station had been removed last summer. Oh well, he\u2019d just have to search for another Pippa rental spot nearby, Ahiruneko thought as he fired up the app once more, which is when, for the first time, he noticed the message on the top page that read:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cImportant notice: Pippa will cease all service on September 25, 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ahiruneko was shocked. Sure, we\u2019re all braced for mobile games to end service, but he hadn\u2019t thought a bike rental service would just fold up like that yet still have its app running. With his whole plan for the day thrown into disarray, Ahiruneko decided to head back to the Otsuki Tourist Information Booth, which is attached to the station building, to see if they could offer any advice<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

That advice came in the for of a guide map<\/strong>, and not just any guide map, but one showing local sights connected to the tale of Momotaro<\/strong>, also known as the Peach Boy<\/strong>. A legendary demon slayer in Japanese folklore, Momotaro is most commonly associated with Okayama Prefecture and regions around the Seto Inland Sea in west Japan<\/a>, but Otsuki also claims to be the place alluded to in the tales of a young boy who was found by an elderly couple when he came floating down the river inside of a giant peach.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Momotaro public art in Otsuki<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Conveniently, one of the model walking courses listed on the map starts from Otsuki Station, with a listed time of approximately an hour to get to Oni no Iwaya, or the Demon\u2019s Cave<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc From Otsuki Station to the Demon\u2019s Cave<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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According to local legend, a fierce oni<\/strong>, an ogre-like demon, lived on Mt. Iwado<\/strong>, which stands at the northern edge of central Otsuki. Along the way to the mountain, you\u2019ll pass over the Katsura River<\/strong>, said to be where baby Momotaro, in his peach, came drifting by.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019re on the far side of the river, the road quickly makes its way up into the mountains.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

Despite this road being part of the walking course indicated on the map he\u2019d gotten at the Tourist Information Booth, Ahiruneko was the only one walking on it. Still, there were some beautiful views to admire when he stopped to catch his breath.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

Keeping his eyes peeled for the turnoff for the Demon\u2019s Cave, he spotted it about 45 minutes after leaving Otsuki Station, 15 minutes less than the map had told him he\u2019d be walking for<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc \u9b3c\u306e\u5ca9\u5c4b = Demon\u2019s Cave<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, that time discrepancy was because Ahiruneko\u2019s trek to the Demon\u2019s Cave wasn\u2019t over quite ye<\/strong>t, and while he\u2019d wished he\u2019d been riding an electric-assist bicycle a few times along the way, it wouldn\u2019t have helped him from here on, since at this point you step off the paved road and onto a hiking trail<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now Ahiruneko went from wishing he\u2019d had a bike to wishing he had boots. While you won\u2019t need crampons or climbing ropes, this is a legitimate trail, so grippy footwear would be a plus\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2026and regardless of what you\u2019ve got on your feet, you\u2019re going to want to watch your step, because there are some potentially nasty falls along the way.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ahiruneko kept his cool and footing, though, and finally reached the Demon\u2019s Cave.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Visitors aren\u2019t allowed to crawl inside the cavern, with the official reason being the danger of falling rocks within the crevasse. We suppose we also can\u2019t rule out the possibility that a new demon has taken up residence inside and doesn\u2019t want to be disturbed either.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There are a handful of other Momotaro-related sites in Otsuki, and Ahiruneko decided to check out one more while he was in the area, Nenokami Shrine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Demon\u2019s Cave to Nenokami Shrine<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

This shrine also has a much more visceral-sounding nickname: Oni no Chi, or \u201cThe Demon\u2019s Blood.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ahiruneko spotted no bloodstains on the shrine grounds, but the legend says that after Momotaro chased the demon out of his lair, he fled to this section of the mountains, tearing open his leg as he made his hasty retreat. Blood gushed from the wound and stained the surrounding earth red, resulting in the shrine being called Oni no Chi<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u25bc While at the shrine, don\u2019t miss this handwashing basin called \u201cThe Demon\u2019s Sake Cup,\u201d<\/strong> which the fiend is said to have filled with sake for his nighty drinking sessions.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now it was time for Ahiruneko to head back to the station, and from his vantage point partway up the mountain he saw he had a long way to walk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But again, the advantage to being on foot is that it\u2019s super easy to stop and take a quick rest whenever you feel like it, and during one of those brief breaks Ahiruneko got to see something else Otsuki is famous for, aside from stranded train passengers and fruit-based heroes\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2026beautiful views of Mt. Fuji!<\/strong><\/p>\n

So really there\u2019s no need to despair about being in Otsuki, as long as you planned on being there, and even if your visit doesn\u2019t go exactly as planned.<\/p>\n

Photos \u00a9SoraNews24<\/em>
\n\u25cf Want to hear about SoraNews24\u2019s latest articles as soon as they\u2019re published? Follow us on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just because this trip to Otsuki didn\u2019t go as planned doesn\u2019t mean it didn\u2019t go well. Back in December, we sent our Japanese-language reporter Ahiruneko out to Otsuki Station, or,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}