Osorezan is the spookiest protuberance in all of Japan. Its name translates to something like "Mountain of Doom" or "Mount Dread," it sits in the crater of a dormant volcano, and it's popularly believed to be the location of the Sanzu River, the Japanese equivalent of the River Styx. As a tourist destination, the mountain is pretty inconvenient--a single road connects it to a nearby town with sparse train service and few amenities. Yet every year tourists flock in increasing numbers to the mountain to participate in rituals conducted at Bodaiji, a temple erected in 826 AD. As well as tourists, parents of dead children also make the trek to Osorezan. According to tradition, the souls of children who die before their parents remain stuck in purgatory on the banks of the river. Mourning couples bring their lost children sweets and toys and leave them among the rocks, some going as far as to dress larger stones in their children's clothes and placing offerings at their feet. The main attraction to Osorezan is a five-day festival at the end of July where blind mediums called Itako set up tents along the wall of the temple and offer their services to grieving families. It is relatively cheap to speak with the dead--roughly $30 a ghost--and people travel from as far as Osaka to have their chance. Rima Takahashi, a university student from Yokohama, explained; "People both believe and don't believe; they come, and even if they have their doubts, they follow the Itako's advice." BENJAMIN ACREE
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