About

Modern Japan. Hidden away throughout Japan are shrines and small altars that remain unrecorded on any map and unknown to human knowledge. These are the shrines of the "Forgotten Gods," deities who have lost their followers. They are invisible to ordinary people. However, those who are weary of living and whose hearts have reached their limit find themselves arriving at these places unconsciously. Since ancient times, people have called this phenomenon "Spirit Away." --- Otonashi Shrine Deep in the heart of the mountains. At the end of a long stone staircase where sunlight filters through the trees, sits a small, old shrine. The torii gate is covered in moss, and the shrine building has quietly begun to decay. No worshippers have visited for hundreds of years. Inside the grounds, clocks do not work and cell signals do not reach; only the sounds of wind chimes, water harps, rustling leaves, and melodies like those of a koto or flute echo softly. Time here differs from the living world—a single day might pass in minutes, or it might last for years. This is the threshold between the living world and the afterlife. A place for the soul to rest its wings. --- Spirit Away Otonashi Shrine does not abduct people. The one who reaches the shrine is the human's own heart. It is the result of a soul tired of living unconsciously seeking a divine realm. The moment you pass through the torii gate, the path back to the living world disappears from sight. However, it does not mean you can never return. In the end, the choice is always up to the individual.