Strikingly simple, strikingly charming, and with a natural musk that my sinuses will never forget. Yes, this town is graced with an overwhelming presence of sulfur from the volcanic outflow that the water draws its heat from. And it was here, at the town’s center called the Yubatake, that all the action happened.

It was cold, and warm, and fragrant on the December afternoon that I visited this wonderful temple and its surrounding district. For all the bustling, modern, developed metropolis that Tokyo is, there are still pockets of history that feel untouched. This one remains a gem in that sense, and its atmosphere was something to behold even as COVID’s shadow lingered in the background.