The valley of the Dragons in the sea of clouds is a valley in a remote region of western Japan that borders Niigata and Fukushima Prefectures. A few months ago a Shinto priest friend of mine told me stories of the ancient valley shrouded in mystery and ancient Japanese folklore. For over 20 years I have been leading a Japan photo tour in the valley of the dragons in the Mt. Fuji territories. Through the years I have friended Shinto priests who have guided me along the ancient pilgrim's route around mount fuji, that house several ancient shrines and temples and that are said to be the primary power points around fujisan. After my past encounters with Shinto priests divulging Japanese folklore along with their locations I knew I had to visit ‘the valley of the dragons in the sea of clouds’. The chance came last week after completing my autumn highlands Japan photo tour. My wife Manami and I spent several days exploring in the region. Our journeys highlights were 1. One of the holiest Shinto jinjas built in the year 810standing of a sacred mountain peak. To get there, we had to hike and traverse 1000 meters up, using mountain ski style poles in both hands with spikes that can dig into the mud and rock for traction so to be able to traverse the terrain safely. A Shinto Jinja is a sanctuary where Kami is enshrined, a place of the god's safekeeping of sacred and mostly nationally treasured objects. We were the only ones climbing up on the pilgrim’s route, once reaching the Jinja the Shinto priest was absent and had left a notebook for travels to sign, we wrote our names date time and why we climbed up and that we will be returning. 2. Durning the golden hours the jagged mountain valley ranges are blanketed in a sea of clouds, the most spiritual and dramatic alpine landscape photography on our planet I experienced in my life so far, even surpassing my experiences in China.
3. Alpine salt healing hot springs, the hot springs are 100% natural and mix naturally with a rock salt lake left behind from the last ice age. During our stay at the local ryokan and talking with fellow travelers, I found out that the hot springs are best known for their healing properties and that medical doctors, holistic healers, and others recommend the hot springs for healing.