Okuni Jinja

Okuni Jinja.

In the small town of Mori in Shizuoka, in the cedar forest valleys of central Japan, sits a shrine reached by walking nearly two kilometers through old growth.

The path is what makes this place. The avenue of cedars and cypress is one of the longest of its kind in the country. Many of the trees are over five hundred years old. Walking the path, the temperature drops by several degrees. The sound of cars on distant roads thins, then disappears.

The shrine grounds at the end of the path are simple. Modest hall. Quiet courtyard. After the long walk through forest, the simplicity feels right.

This is one of Japan's most beautiful places to see autumn leaves. In late November, the maples lining the path turn deep red and orange, and the whole avenue becomes a tunnel of color. Photographers come from across the country.

But the local people will tell you: the best time is not the peak. Come a week before, when only some leaves have turned. Or a week after, when most have fallen and the path is carpeted in red.

The crowds are gone in those weeks. The forest returns to itself. The shrine, again, becomes the small modest place at the end of a long quiet walk.

Sometimes the most rewarding part of beauty is the part most people leave before, or arrive after.

Stand at the start of the avenue. The cedars rise on both sides. The shrine is two kilometers ahead, but the experience of arriving has already begun.