Das VERGESSENE Dorf Kasagi und sein DUNKLES Geheimnis... 【Japan Vlog】

There are places that you don't find, but you are found by them. And that's exactly where we are today. I came across the place by chance on the internet. I looked a little bit, can I get there? Yes, I drove all the way to the Pampa. Really, all the way to the Pampa. But what's interesting at the train station, a lot of people worked and made the train station beautiful here. Very small station, really nice sign for tourists, where there is something here that you can do. You see it incredibly often, yes. The areas where there is the least traffic have the most beautiful tourist signs, because they want tourists to come, but somehow there are no real tourists. We are here today in Kasagi, people. This is on the border between Kyoto and Nara, or is it still Kyoto here? But we're going over the border to Nara right now. So you go along the border like that. And there are really intense, mysterious places here, people, I'm telling you. They have so much history and have fallen into oblivion. I am really incredibly excited about what we will discover here today. The weather is not playing along, yes, it should actually be sunshine. Now it's supposed to rain a little, but that's probably only going to create the right atmosphere for these mystical places here, people. This is going to be an intense vlog, I can already feel it. Have I actually already told you that I really like the vending machines, yes? I just had a hot coffee here at the vending machine. It's just the best. We are here on a very stony and hard path. You could say that everything is road, but the ascent is really neat and I'm already sweating properly again. I don't know if I've taken over today with the tour, because we still have to walk about two hours to the place where I actually want to go. But there are still interesting places on the way, which I would also like to take a look at. We'll just take a look, people. But the atmosphere is somehow a bit mystical. There's no one here. I just ran into a postwoman with her moped, that's it. There's really no one here, people. Only the cranes are there, me and some grills that sit in the bushes and make a concert. Otherwise, no one is here. We are now here in Kasagi-dera. This is a temple that is located here on the Kasagi-san, i.e. the mountain Kasagi, that is the name of the place and the mountain and the temple. And that's a pretty interesting temple. I just talked to the guy at the entrance. You have to pay 300 yen admission. And I think he was happy that someone asked what was going on here. I asked him if the Kyukai was here again. And yes, of course the Kyukai was here again, people. How could it be otherwise? And he said it's a temple with a very, very, very old history, over 2,000 years old. But there's not much more special objects there. But they have a hall with a few objects. I was in there just now. And he said, but those are the unspectacular ones. There were a few more, too. But they came to another place, because they are national cultural treasures and they can't store them here under the safety conditions. And he said, in many temples around here in the area, but also in Kyoto and Nara, they found finds of this mountain here. Because this place was probably super, super important and lively during the Heian and Nara period . A lot of people there. I mean, Kyukai was here, too. The only problem is that wars were always fought here. And the whole temple burned down several times, he said. And then they always tried to rebuild it. Then it burned down again. Then they rebuilt it. Then it burned down again. And it just kept going back and forth. Until then, in the Meiji period, the temple was destroyed again, because Shinto and temple were separated. And then a few buildings were rebuilt afterwards. But it hasn't been restored to the size it was in the beginning, he told me. And he said there are the most diverse legends and say that the Buddha statues that are here, and there is probably also a huge rock in which such a statue has somehow been carved into, has been chiseled. We'll see that in a moment. That they were made by people from heaven. And that is of course also interesting. And he told me, yes, his theory, he did all the research, is that they are over the continent, so over Korea, but not from Korea itself, but further away from India, in the direction of Tibet and so on, wherever, that they originally come from there. And that's pretty interesting. Especially in front of the background of the family, which was also active here in the area, apparently. But we'll get to that later in the vlog. We also see huge stones here again. Kiyosaki. And here too. And I find that interesting too. Because that probably shows that something else happened here in the place. Maybe before the temple came here, that there were a lot of big stones here. Maybe the old Shinto again, that the gods were buried in there. And that would also explain why the Kukai was here. Because the Kukai is everywhere where the very old Shinto took place, where nature was really worshipped as it is. And the Kukai was always there. So very interesting. We'll take a closer look at the temple now. But it really seems to have a really, really long history, this thing here. Here in the background is the good piece, people. You can still see the outlines a bit. And we also see one of the very, very big problems here. The older gentleman just told me that too. Here was a Buddha statue chiseled in. So you could say such a Buddha picture, so lightly hit in the stone. And you don't see that anymore today. And the man at the reception told me that it was burned. He said, yes, actually you think, well, stone can't burn and actually can't either. But these fine chisels in there, they can probably be enormously damaged by fire, so that it looks like this afterwards and no longer in its original form. And that's a big problem we have in general. If we think about it, that a lot of temples, shrines and everything in Japan was burned down. Not only did a lot of manuscripts go missing, a lot of interesting wood carvings, of things that were also written on wood. And also, if you think about it, these old signs, which should have been used before the Kansai, even those have been chiseled in stone. And if they were also burned, then they might look the same today as the Buddha here. And you don't recognize anything anymore. And that's just the big problem somehow. That's why you don't find that much in Japan. Because everything is burned down 5,000 times. But it's an amazing place here, to be honest. So these stones, also there, the big stones, if you stand in front of it and they hang a little bit here to the slope. If it would just tip over now, oh, my goodness, man, that's a force that comes at you. So wow, you become very small as a human being. You could say the demon comes through. So that's really, that's madness. Just madness, what kind of power these stones and nature have. And what kind of energy and atmosphere they have. So guys, wow, really, really great place here. I'm absolutely thrilled. It's a really, really great place. We'll be done with the temple in a minute. And then we'll get going. I took a lot more time here than I actually wanted. But it's just a great place. Really a great place. Here we can still see it in the stone, how it was chiseled in there. That's really the madness, if you look at it here. These are really very nice, round stories here. I really wonder how they did it, whether they drew it first or whatever. So there were really masters at work, I guess. No mistake in it or anything. Not even beaten or chiseled. I mean, it's a fat stone. I mean, if you make a mistake there, then you'll probably see it. But it's crazy how well it's done. Well, yes. Just like drawn in stone. I have to get on my way now, out of the temple. Otherwise I won't be able to get to the other place. But guys, this temple is killing me. So many fat stones here. So Kiyoseki is her name in Japanese. There was definitely something here. So this must have been a very, very important place. Even before Buddhism came to Japan. Because the temple here is said to be older than Buddhism in Japan. That means there was something here before. And because of these many, many stones, these many Iwakura, and the stones all look somehow processed in one way or another, I can very well imagine that this was a place where they used to do a lot of Shinto. So the very old Shinto, with natural faith and everything. Look at this. These heavy stones. So a very, very, very special place here. You really can't say otherwise. It completely flashed me. So I'm so happy to have come here. One of the best places I've discovered so far when it comes to big stones. So really. So if you want to see something completely different, away from popular culture in Japan, then come here. Kasagi. This is the place where the mystic really lives. By the way, I just found a Dyrketsu. So there was a small shrine building and it said that it was a dragon ass. And dragon ass or dragon god is always translated as water faith. And that would fit into the picture again. Water faith was very, very strong. Especially before the time, before Buddhism came in and so on. But it also flowed together with Buddhism. In Benzaiten, for example. And Benzaiten temple and shrines, the kyukai was always active there too. So it all fits together wonderfully. That's why I'm pretty sure that people were really active here in the past. I can't explain this place any other way. Heavy place. Next to me is just a golf course, people. The Japanese really, really like to play golf. Especially the salarymans and businessmen. They are always really into golf. You may also remember that former Prime Minister Abe, who was unfortunately killed, also liked to play golf with Mr. Trump. He really likes to do that. Japanese in general. And if you look at Google Maps, especially here in the Kansai region, probably also in other regions of Japan, but in the Kansai region, I noticed it especially when I always look for places for Vlogs here. The mountains are really full of golf courses. So really, really many golf courses. Really nicely done here. So if you like to play golf, you can really do that very well in Japan. And I just passed a place that was pretty mysterious. There were a lot of stones. They were just lying around with such grooves in them. There is in Japan, and not only in Japan, as far as I know, but all over the world, this stone technique to split stones by hammering them in, I'll say, and drilling holes. And then at some point the stone practically falls apart. That exists in Japan. That's also pretty old. They also used that to build the castles and stuff. But these holes there, they partly look like they were drilled. So maybe this was done in the last time, when they built this golf course here. And then they put the stones there, because they didn't know what to do with them. But I wonder why they split them at all. And partly the holes are drilled in there so that it doesn't make sense somehow. And they're not split either, partly. So I ask myself, what is this for? What did they do it for? I don't know, of course. No idea. Maybe they're already older, but then the question would be, with what technique did they do it? I have no idea, guys, what exactly they did there. But I definitely found it quite interesting that all these stones were carved and they had these grooves somehow. Mysterious again. Well, the people here play golf well. A hobby with which I can't start anything, to be honest. So golf is something that interests me absolutely zero. Even though there are apparently nice golf courses in Japan. But that's not my thing at all. I'd rather go look at stones. I ask myself, to be honest, where I ended up here again. I'm now in an area where suddenly there are many more houses. This is a primary school, guys, and there are even people in there. So wow. But someone didn't take care of his garbage here at all. Look at that. What's going on there? This is probably the garbage dump. No, no idea. I'm actually in the middle of nowhere. But somehow people live here and there seem to be children here too. That really surprises me. It's probably so cheap here that a few people thought, oh, that's actually pretty cool. Let's build a house there. We can build it nice and big and there is even a kindergarten and a primary school here. So wow. The whole area here must have been a little more lively. So also from the temple where we were and now along the way here. You always see such small temples, Ojiso-san and so on. So everywhere also hints that the whole thing was a little more lively here, as the man told me at the reception of the temple. So it's a bit forgotten here. Although now here, this little piece, there is still a lot going on. I actually think it's pretty good, because I mean, it's nice here. So it's really nice here. It's quiet, rural, rice fields, I've seen a few tea fields. It's actually great here. I hope they have something to eat somewhere for me. I didn't bring anything to eat, guys. Oh no, I don't have the hope that there is something somewhere, to be honest. But I'm really hungry. Maybe I'll find something, maybe not, maybe I have to starve. We'll see. I still have a little something to drink. But it could be tight. I hope there's something to eat somewhere when there's a little more going on here. That's always cool, too. Just here on the countryside, such a small toilet looks perfectly fine, guys. If you look here, so come on, that's okay. For in the middle of the country, you can't complain. Right next to the machine, I got the good Yamato tea. So the Yamato tea. Let's see what it can do. Definitely looks pretty cool. And I may have found a restaurant that should have something. Let's see if we can get in there. That was a really nice little shop. Really made by an older man and an older lady. I took a little lady there. Chuka soba tasted really good. I would never have expected that I would get such a great meal this afternoon. Here somewhere in the Pampa. I really thought I had to hold out until the evening until I could find something to eat. But it was really good. I didn't want to record in there now, because somehow, yes, the atmosphere was like that, that it was somehow difficult. There was also a boy, so I don't know, probably about high school, middle school. He also ate there. And he looked at me all the time and somehow bent over. I don't know what was wrong with him. He was definitely funny, too. He probably has never seen a foreigner here, because I think rare foreigners come here. It's more like a place that is not really known among tourists. All right, guys, we're right where I wanted to go. Well reinforced, let's move on now. We're almost at the place I wanted to go to. The atmosphere has changed again. We're in the trees a little bit now. Back there a little bit of bamboo with these other tall trees here. Oh, guys, I just saw a trap for a wild boar. So there seems to be animals here, too. Oh, it's a mystical atmosphere. Oh, I'm curious, man. I'm curious what the place will look like. Here we are, guys. This should be the Amano Iwatate Shrine. And as you can see, there are these hefty granite blocks here in the background. These megaliths, you might say. Everything here is generally full of these huge stones. That's a whole valley that goes down there. And it's just impressive. So especially these two big ones here, which somehow still have a crack in them. But also here a very, very big one. And you can see the stones everywhere. So there's a high probability that something has been tried to grind in there. Or that something has even been ground in there. Yes, I also find it very interesting here. This looks a bit like a snake head that could have been put in there. So I'm pretty sure that these stones that they've been grinding in there. How they got here, you don't know. The legend says, I just saw on the sign, that when the sun goddess Amaterasu hid in the rocks, there was a god with a lot of strength who then got her out of there. And he probably still had strength left and somehow threw the stones into the sky. And here they fell down. That's what the legend says. Whether that's really the case, who knows. Stones that fall from the sky. But also up there, it looks a bit unnatural somehow. So really, really interesting. And the interesting thing here is that there is no shrine building in that sense. Normally you have a shrine here, a building. And in the building is then some object. And in the object, the god should live. But here we only have this little building, from which you pray. And directly to the stones. And that's really the oldest form of Shinto. They call it Koshinto in Japan. That's really the oldest form you know of worship, namely natural faith. Natural worship. You worship the stones and believe that the gods live in the stones themselves. Just like in water, in rivers, in trees. Whatever. And this is one of the shrines here in which this is still very, very clear. Because there is no building for the god itself, but the god is worshiped directly in this big stone here. Which gods are worshiped here? Three in number. Namely all gods that are not really of great importance in the old legends. And the ancestors. And now it comes. The ancestors of the family of the Imbe should be. Namely the Awa-Imbe. So the family that was active around Tsurugi-san in Tokushima. And who was responsible for festivities in Japan thousands of years ago. So the Awa-Imbe is a pretty interesting family, which was mainly active in Tokushima, but apparently also here. Because gods, which are considered to be their ancestors, are worshiped here. And that's really very, very interesting, because the Awa-Imbe, they are also a bit, how should I say, mysterious. You don't really know where they come from. There are people who suspect that they came from abroad. Like the Hatashi, the Hata family. And then they came to Japan. There are still descendants of the Imbe, who in Tokushima let a certain kind of straw grow. And that is then used when a new emperor comes into office. That was the case a few years ago. It must have been about five years ago. And there it is really used by the descendants of the Imbe family for the emperor. So you can tell, they really had a strong connection to the imperial house. And were really very important. And still seem to have a certain importance. And that's interesting, that you can find gods here, who are considered to be their ancestors. Secrets about secrets, riddles about riddles, people. But that is by far the most impressive place, when it comes to big stones, that I have visited so far. So this wall here, that's really the madness. These stones are so big and are somehow arranged so nicely here. And the madness, really the absolutely most impressive place, that I have visited so far. As far as these megalithic plates here, these heavy granite blocks are concerned. Incredible, just incredible. So the place here must be very, very, very old. If the former Shinto still exists here in its form. That must really have been a very, very, very old place here. Who knows how many thousand years ago the people were already active here and what they did here. Somehow from the feeling and the atmosphere, it's really very special. Well, guys, we're going in there now. There's something else interesting here. I just kept you a little silent with the explanations. You are driving your being here with a magically curved shape. Look at this stone here. This is a huge granite block, which was nicely cut through here in the middle. At least it looks like it. And maybe the stone will remind you of something, if you watch a lot of anime. This is the stone from Kimetsu no Yaiba. So really, this is supposed to be the stone, where the mangaka, I think it's a woman, had her inspiration for this split stone from the anime Kimetsu no Yaiba. And the legend is exactly the same here as it is shown in the anime. Namely, a very, very famous sword master from this region is said to have practiced with the Tengu sword. And this stone is said to have been cut here. And you heard right. The Tengu lived here, people. The Tengu. And what do you think of the Tengu? Of course to the foreigners, because the Tengu also somehow with the Hatashi and the foreigners, who came to Japan, has something to do with it. And that's why it's so interesting, that gods from the Imbe family are worshipped here. Imbe? Tengu? Somehow maybe a connection? Who knows. In any case, the Tengu is said to have practiced his sword arts here. And this stone is said to have been cut through during exercises. At least that's what the legend says. And they also seem to have here, sometimes they play some kind of role-playing games or parties. Here is also a selfie stick for a mobile phone. So here you can apparently also practice how to cut the stone. Super, super interesting. This is also a stone. Up there we have such a small figure, which is also still there. People, a very, very magical place. Especially here, surrounded by all the trees. There is such a small swamp, something similar. Just wow. I am so happy that I took the two hours plus walk from the train station, from the Kasagi train station, to come here. It really is a very, very, very special mystical place. So a 100,000 percent recommendation for you. That should have been it again from this vlog. I'm going to let the place affect me a little more now, enjoy it a little more. And then I have to go back on my way again. I still have a few hours of detour ahead of me. But just madness. So there are such beautiful places in Japan, which are simply in nature, which have now become forgotten. Also this place here. It has somehow become forgotten. There is still a bit of something here. But basically there is not really much going on here anymore. And that, although it was probably once a really important place, where there was a lot going on and where priests were probably active, who worshiped nature and stones as such. My God, I would like to have a time machine. I would just travel back and see what they did here. But unfortunately that is not possible. Guys, thank you so much for watching. I hope you enjoyed this vlog. It was a bit longer, but I was completely fascinated again. So the day today, the vlog has completely flashed me again. Now the sun comes through the trees a bit here. My God, man. The gods seem to be merciful to me. At least I hope so. Thank you so much for watching, guys. I hope you were able to get a little insight into the old world, into the old Japan. And then of course I hope that we will see each other again next time. Thank you so much for watching. And that you are always there on these little vlog trips here. And of course, thank you very much for your support. Because without it, these trips to these places would not be possible at all. See you then!