A Perfect Stroll....

 Here is a long overdue positive update. Today I took a day for myself. I seized the chance to get away from everyone and everything and went somewhere I've wanted to go for a long time.    It's strange to me sometimes that we don't always take advantage of opportunities when they're right there, but rather look for them later when they may be further out of reach.  These tunnels are actually located one station from Takarazuka, where I worked my first year in Japan. They were right there for me to access easily, but I have never given myself the chance of exploring them until now.    What perfect timing, though.... 

Today was a bit warm, but not too hot and there was a constant breeze the whole way.  The police officer who saw me heading up the highway from the station knew my intended destination and gave me some pointers on how to get there, but he also expressed his concern over me not having a flashlight and not many people on the trail.   He warned that the longer tunnels sometimes had no visible "end" and the rocks could be difficult to walk on. Luckily I found a decent app for my iphone (haha, I know! It's kind of lazy of me) that sufficed just wonderfully. 
  The reason why I say that today was the perfect opportunity is...well, I've been in need for some internal examination. The tunnels with utter silence and darkness, they were the perfect places for my thoughts to run free and for me to confront them without any distractions. 

The most interesting parts happened when I slowed to a stop in
 total darkness. The first tunnel, admittedly, I faced small anxieties and feelings of fear..the light from

 my phone was bright enough to guide me, but of course my focus was limited to the space right before me. Each tunnel had a different kind of creepy or eerie or even calming feel to it.  The crows seemed to be taunting me at the ends of the first tunnel, calling out short  and jeering statements  which creeped me out a bit. All the different emotions and thoughts encountered and sometimes letting my imagination race off in another direction made each trek through darkness a surreal experience. Sometimes no sound at all except for my breathing and uneven footsteps. Sometimes the roar of the neighboring river or waterfall would dance along the openings and follow me in or lure me out of a tunnel...sometimes water would trickle from the walls or drip from the ceiling, making echoes and  obscured  gurgling. One tunnel had railroad ties lining the walls, and with the the wind rushing past me into the tunnel, it felt like an epic journey into the belly of a beast.  

With hardly another soul to encounter, the trail and tunnels and surrounding scenery could make anyone feel like they were trapped in a combination of "Spirited Away" and a show from the Discovery channel. ^^;   
  I have to recommend this to anyone interested in abandoned places (like me!) or anyone who just needs to get away from...just about everything. 　ああ．．．スッキリした〜！^.^ 

graffiti carved into the moss outside one of the tunnels

what used to be a stairway to an overpass for a platform now leads....nowhere.

As I mentioned....feeling like watching a live version of Spirited Away sometimes...^^;

yaay Spring~! If you look closely, you can see the remnants of the train tracks, too.

inside one of the tunnels...I couldn't see this with my bare eyes, I caught a glimpse of it with my flashlight. wicked cool!!

what used to be one of the stands along the railway...I'm sure it'd be a great spot for viewing, but...I'm afraid of heights >.<;