Gunshots firing deep into the wild: A journey through the outskirts of Aichi

It is experiences that make journeys beautiful. This was a journey through Japan, traversing forests and mountains, wild streams and rivers, not to a typical tourist destination, but to the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery, the venue for the shooting events of the 2026 Asian Games.

“It’s deep inside a forest,” exclaimed Shanto Kalathingal, an Asian Games event management official, at the very thought of visiting the shooting range.

Tucked away in a sleepy village not far from Toyota City, home to the renowned automobile manufacturer, lies the remote hamlet of Ureno-cho, regarded as one of the more profoundly rural corners of the region, about 75 kilometres from Nagoya. Reaching it is an experience in itself: two train changes followed by a bus transport.

As the journey progressed, the metropolitan skyscrapers gradually disappeared from view. Villages and farmlands took their place. With agricultural land accounting for only around 12 per cent of Japan’s territory, farmers make the most of every available patch of cultivable land. Sugarcane and sweet potatoes are among the crops grown in the region.

Japan’s farming community is also ageing, with the average farmer now around 65 years old. With younger generations showing less interest in traditional farming, automation and technology have increasingly become part of the agricultural landscape.

We got off the train at Yakuse Station, about 25 kilometres from Nagoya, and continued the journey by bus. The road wound through a series of hills, taking us past wild streams flowing through dense pine forests.

The engineering along the route was equally striking. The roads were constructed using soil-nailing techniques to strengthen slopes and prevent landslides - a method markedly different from what one commonly sees along Indian national highways. Japanese engineering here seemed to work with the landscape rather than against it, with careful consideration given to the surrounding forests and wildlife.

Even close to urban centres, stretches of forest remain remarkably intact, creating an unusual harmony between human habitation and nature.

The bus continued through forests and alongside streams until, eventually, the shooting range emerged from the wilderness.

The journey ended with a reminder, that Japan is not only the country of towering skyscrapers and cities. Beyond the familiar urban landscape lies another Japan - quiet, green and soulful.