Sannenzaka

This guide to Sannenzaka in Kyoto opens with a warning about the worn stone steps underfoot: stumble here, tradition says, and you have three years left to live. It traces the slope's two rival names and legends, from a burial ground called Toribeno believed to sit at the edge of this world to a pilgrim path tied to Empress Komyo and prayers for safe childbirth. Halfway up, shopkeepers still sell gourds said to break the curse for anyone who trips and buys one on the spot.