This is the draincover for the town of Oasa in the mountains of northern Hiroshima. Its where we usually get on and off the expressway when driving long distances. I havent actually looked around or explored Oasa.
The tree is a Tengu Shide. The english name for shide is Hornbeam, and I must admit I have never heard of them. there is a good article on them here.
If you look on the right of the draincover you can see a tengu. Apparently the tengu shide is a mutation and the only place in the world it grows is around Oasa. According to the local story, if you try climbing one of these trees a tengu will appear and throw you off.
Lots of tengu blogs here
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