S P O T ／ SPOT-019

Former Nagano Tunnel (Long Peak Pass)

旧長野トンネル周辺きゅうながのとんねる

The Nagano Pass connecting Tsu and Iga cities is unusual in that it contains tunnels from three different eras — Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa — each bored through the same mountain range decades apart, each now in a different state of abandonment, their combined presence creating a kind of geological layer cake of early modern Japanese infrastructure. The oldest tunnels are largely consumed by vegetation. The old road that connected them is now impassable for most of its length, designated an abandoned road (haidou) and left to the mountain. Reported apparitions reflect this layered history: a figure in workman's overalls (from the construction era?), a headless motorcyclist (from the postwar highway era?), multiple presences whose apparent vintage spans the tunnel complex's full operational period. For those interested in either the paranormal or the industrial archaeology of early modern Japan, the Nagano Pass offers an exceptionally atmospheric site within easy reach of Kameyama.