If you go up to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise...
It sways. It bounces. It promotes a feeling of perilous danger with every forward step. Yet the Ueno Mura sky bridge, nestled high amongst some of Gunma’s most scenic mountains, is a perfectly safe, and perfectly arresting, tourist spot for locals and travelers alike.
Not for those who fear heights, the sky bridge is suspended at 90 meters above ground level. Below, the miniature cars and old Japanese style houses rest like a model village, calm and serene. At certain times throughout the day, the machines along the bridge’s edge release a stream of bubbles into the air which make a charming spectacle as you walk across the hovering footpath, from peak to mountain peak.
At the other side you can find the entrance for the Fujido Caves. Don’t be misled, however. ‘Find the entrance’ actually means ‘make a pilgrim-like trek up into the dark, horror-esque tunnel which leads up to the caves.’ Try to resist alarm at the lack of sign posting, the eerily cold tunnel interior, and the penetrating silence all around you. You are in the heart of the mountains. More often than not, it will be just you, the bats, and some of Japan’s smaller wildlife, crawling through these ancient caves.
The caves are cold but welcoming, lit throughout by lamps which create Disney-like shadows in the crooks and corners. There is a winding staircase leading up, up and beyond. If you can take along a friend who reads Japanese, you will discover that the frequent signposts detail the events that these caves once hosted, now left behind. The content of these signposts seem to juxtapose the caves’ eerie beauty. One sign, for example, reads: “Cave of death”, and continues to describe how in earlier times the Japanese locals would come here to die, only for their bodies never to be found. According to the post, you can still hear the sounds of their voices echoing throughout the caves. That is, if you can hear it over the sound of your own pounding heartbeat.
Eventually you will reach the exit, and be released into the open air once more. Relief floods over you. Contrary to the legend, your body has not been left behind, there were no ghosts, bat attacks nor is there another terrifying tunnel to pass through. From here you can relax; take a stroll through Ueno village, take a drive along the melody road, or simply stand, sway, and soak up the atmosphere from this arresting mountainside spot.
