Walking about 10 minutes from Kintetsu Nara Station towards Nara Park, the first torii gate, which marks the beginning of the approach to the main hall of Kasuga Taisha, comes into view. The path to the main hall is approximately 1.3 km. As you proceed, the number of worshippers thins out, the wind becomes cooler, and the silence deepens. This alone is enough to feel the spirituality of the place, but at the "Mikasayama Ukigumo-no-mine Yohaijo" located on the eastern outer side of the corridor that surrounds the main hall, you will find yourself gasping in awe.
There was a tense tranquility there that cannot be explained simply by being outside the corridor. The voices of worshippers who were just around a moment ago, and even their presence, suddenly disappear, leaving behind a mysterious place where only a "silence" akin to noise-canceling in the midst of city hustle and bustle remains.
Upon hearing, it is said that this space is dedicated to offering prayers towards "Mikasayama," the sacred mountain behind Kasuga Taisha, which has been a deep object of faith for about 1300 years. It is the closest place to Mikasayama, where general worshippers are not allowed to enter as it is a "forbidden area."
Perhaps because we are exposed to various noises daily, the serene time/space encountered in this sacred place felt like a very luxurious experience.