Step softly into the morning mist and cross the Mugenkyo—literally “Misty Gorge”—where time seems to thin and drift like fog across the water.

Carved by the Tadami River as it winds through Okuaizu in southwestern Fukushima Prefecture, this deep gorge is often wrapped in a gentle veil of mist during summer mornings and evenings. The resulting landscape feels both fragile and otherworldly, inviting visitors to slow their pace and step into a world shaped as much by atmosphere as by the mysteries of its past. For nearly three centuries, a small riverside community known as Mifuke flourished here. Homes clung to the slopes above the river, and the Tadami was not a barrier but a vital artery of daily life. Each household owned a traditional wooden boat, and rowing was second nature to both adults and children. In 1964, however, a massive landslide occurred on the mountain behind the village. The disaster forced the community to abandon their homes, leaving behind shrines, statues, dwellings, and traces of a life abruptly interrupted.

The gorge also tells a story of industry and its unintended consequences. The Tamatsukuri Sulfur Mine, which operated briefly from 1953, brought short-lived prosperity before closing after just seven years. Water that accumulated in its abandoned shafts is believed to have played a role in the catastrophic landslide that sealed the village’s fate. From the Amanuma Observatory, visitors can look out over the Tadami River valley, where steep rock faces and layered mountains frame an at once powerful and contemplative landscape.