The 2-kilometer-long path leading to the most sacred place on Koya-san, the Okuno-in mausoleum of Kobo Daishi (the founder of Shingon Buddhism) is lined by statues of Buddhist deities and very, very old tombstones. A truly magical place, rich in old and beautiful artifacts…

However, while walking along the path, especially on the stepped pathway called Kakuban Slope, also know as San-nen-zaka, the “Three-year Slope", be careful not to stumble and fall, because a scary local legend says that if you fall down here you will die during the next 3 years. To tackle the legend, the constructors of the path installed 43 steps, one more than the unlucky number 42 - in Japanese 42 can be pronounced as shi-ni, which can mean “death"…

Kakuban Slope, Koya-san, Wakayama

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Cute rabbit statues at Izumo Taisha