For thousands of years, we the humans have been described as the lord and conqueror of this planet. With the help of rapidly developing technology and our endless desire, it seems that we have sculptured everything within our reach by building skyscraper as monuments to declare the contribution and creating an illusory world of commercialism to comfort our febrile souls.
Overtaken by anxiety, we have forgotten to calm down and think about the relationship between human and nature. It is, undoubtedly, impossible for us to fight against the trend of urbanization, retrieve the totems and replace the haute couture with fur and leaves. That is the reason why you should visit Kunisaki City where you can see harmony hidden in the desolation.
Everyone who has visited the shopping street in Kunisaki City would easily recall the scenes in TV popular series The Walking Dead. You will see all the shops with their doors closed even on weekends. It is an epitome of many cities in the world that are currently witnessing decline and depopulation. Jane Jacobs pointed out that cities are fundamentally different from towns and suburbs principally because they are full of strangers. The biggest challenge of the city is to make its citizens feel safe, secure, and socially integrated in the midst of an overwhelming volume of rotating strangers. The shopping street in Kunisaki used to be crowded and prosperous, you can explore the details of the history in silence just like watching an amber forgotten by the current of our time.
Michi No Eki is a multipurpose building. Firstly, it is the tourism center of Kunisaki City. You can get free guidebook and bilingual service. Meanwhile, you can also find food and local goods here. It is a Japanese tradition to seek out the roadside areas for a taste of the local goods. These local shops in the Michi no Eki provide the residents with a place to sell their magical local products like crispy shitake mushroom chips, dried shrimps and kabosu dessert .
The restaurant here provides cuisines ranging from sushi to tempura made by fresh local seafood and vegetables. Lastly, since Kunisaki City lies on the beach, you can rent a bike at the Michi no Eki and ride along the coastline to enjoy the breathtaking view.
The Kunisaki Peninsula was once a thriving region for mountain ascetic ism. The temples and shrines are considered as one of the most important parts of Kunisaki City and certainly not to miss when you are visiting this city. The temples and shrines here, unlike the ones at the crowded beauty spots, are hidden in the nature, solemn and respectful, with the atmosphere of a mysterious holy zone. If you are familiar with Japanese architecture, you would find the special temple with 3 toriis, which is seen nowhere all over the world. You can join the monk’s meditation if you want a deeper exploration of Buddhism. You will never get bored in this silent city.
You can take Kunisaki as a symbol of the past time. You can also take it as an example in the future of our urbanization. Architectures built and abandoned, provincialism and civilization last forever. You will find your inner power and the whisper from the nature in Kunisaki City.