There are religions that put their believers' faith to the test with harsh trials. On a mountain in Japan, that test is not suitable for everyone.<\/p>\n
The Otayama Shinto Shrine, founded between 1441 and 1443<\/strong>, is probably one of the most difficult places of worship in the world to access. The ancient Ainu inhabitants of this mountain believed that a spirit called Otakamoi lived there,<\/strong> and worshipped him as a guardian deity of the Ezo region. The shrine is located in a cave on Mount Ota in the west of Hokkaido Island, at an altitude of 485 meters.<\/strong> The climb to the shrine is very difficult. The path starts from a coastal road, Route 740 in Fukuoka Prefecture.<\/p>\n Once you pass the first torii<\/strong> (the traditional gates of Japanese Shinto shrines), the first section of the climb is a staircase of 139 steps at an angle of more than 40 degrees.<\/strong> There are two ropes to be able to overcome this first test without risk, since a fall would have terrible consequences. The route continues with another steep staircase, after which begins a tough climb through the mountain, which culminates with a bridge that would make Indiana Jones tremble<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A few weeks ago, the Japanese YouTube channel Watatabi<\/a> posted a video showing the difficult climb to this sanctuary<\/strong>, a test not suitable for everyone (the video is in Japanese, you can activate the automatic subtitles in English in the bottom bar of the player):<\/p>\n
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