The literal translation of the Japanese word Onikobe into English is the head of a demon. The name Onikobe comes from a legend that during the Heian period, the heads of powerful people from the Tohoku region conquered by Sakanoue Tamuramaro were flown to this area. A little further back from Naruko Dam is Onikobe Hotspring, which is famous for its geysers.
naruko dam (2)
naruko dam (1)
Hell valley is nearby, but I’ve never seen many tourists on it, and it’s a wild trail with geysers all over the promenade that erupt out of too hot water as you walk. There is a puddle of hot water in the middle that continues to bubble up, so if you put a raw egg in there and pick it up on the way home, you’ll end up with perfectly soft-boiled eggs. If you don’t prepare a spoon or chopsticks in advance, the boiled eggs that cannot be removed will end up becoming manure in the fields.
hell valley (5) before geyser
hell valley (6) caution with arrow
hell valley (7)geyser
hell valley (1)
hell valley (2) scared
hell valley (3)
hell valley (4)
hell valley (8)
hell valley (9) eggs boiled
hell valley (10)
Detour 1
Naruko Gorge in late autumn, a month after the peak of its autumn leaves, has a dry look. The deep cliffs of the gorge give it an even more rugged look.
naruko gorge late autumn (2)
naruko gorge late autumn (3)
naruko gorge late autumn (4)
Detour 2
Iwadeyama was once the stronghold of the Sendai Date family, and its descendants established an academic school called Yubikan. There is a wonderful garden with Iwadeyama Castle in the background.
yubitei in iwadoyama (1)
yubitei in iwadoyama (2)
yubitei in iwadoyama (3)
yubitei in iwadoyama (4)
yubitei in iwadoyama (5) castle in the background
yubitei in iwadoyama (6)
yubitei in iwadoyama (7)
yubitei in iwadoyama (8)
yubitei in iwadoyama (9)
yubitei in iwadoyama (10)
Detour of Detour
A balloon festival is held in late November mainly on the riverbank at Iwadeyama. In short, there are no obstacles around, the wind is good, and the crops on the large cultivated land have finished harvesting, so this is the time. There are events where you can ride a balloon moored and see it from above for free. However, only 150 numbered tickets will be distributed in the early hours of the morning, so you will need a lot of guts. Moreover, tickets are only given out to people who lined up to get numbered tickets, so even if you line up alone, you won’t get a ticket for your family. If you bring children, it’s a good opportunity to test their mettle, but if the weather is bad, you should be prepared for the fact that the numbered tickets will only serve as souvenirs.
For backpackers coming from Sendai, I recommend getting off at the next station, Nakayama-daira Onsen, instead of Naruko Onsen Station (2.5 hours by JR from Sendai). The reason for this is that you can briefly glimpse the core of Naruko Gorge that you are about to see between the tunnels passing through the gorge, and the walk from the station to Naruko Gorge is short (about 30 minutes) and there is a flat footpath.
naruko gorge from train (2)
However, as soon as you get off the train, you’ll see a quiet village that makes you wonder if you’ve made a mistake. On the way to Naruko Gorge, you can see the steam rising from the hot spring village where the hot springs are gentle on the skin. You can stop by on your way home.
walk from nakayamadaira station (1) hotspring
walk from nakayamadaira station (2)
walk from nakayamadaira station (3)
walk from nakayamadaira station (4)
walk from nakayamadaira station (5)
walk from nakayamadaira station (6)
Naruko Gorge suddenly appears at the end of the pine forest. When viewed from the top of a steep cliff, it looks like a series of folding screens of autumn leaves.
not just naruko cover photo
naruko gorge view point (1) left
naruko gorge view point (2) center
naruko gorge view point (3) right
naruko gorge upper (4)
naruko gorge upper (3)
naruko gorge upper (5)
naruko gorge upper (6)
naruko gorge upper (2) train
In the gorge at the bottom right, you can clearly see the railroad tracks that the train passed through earlier. Many photographers are ready to take pictures of the train coming out of the tunnel exit on the cliff covered in autumn leaves.
Feeling depressed about the prospect of climbing back up, I descended from the steep cliff for 15 minutes and arrived at the deepest part of the gorge surrounded by cliffs covered in autumn leaves (Kaiko Bridge).
naruko gorge deepest part (9)
naruko gorge deepest part (1)
naruko gorge deepest part (2)
naruko gorge deepest part (3)
naruko gorge deepest part (4)
naruko gorge deepest part (5)
naruko gorge deepest part (6)
naruko gorge deepest part (7)
naruko gorge deepest part (8)
naruko gorge deepest part (10)
naruko gorge deepest part (11)
naruko gorge deepest part (12)
Returning to the top of the cliff, you can see the deep meandering of the Otani River, which created Naruko Gorge, from the midway point of Ohfukasawa Bridge, which is located directly above the Kaiko Bridge.
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (1) panoramic view
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (2) left
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (3) left
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (4)
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (6)
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (7)
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (8) directly below
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (9) right
Beyond that bridge is the entrance to a quiet road that Edo period haiku poet Matsuo Basho wrote about in his travelogue on Oku no Hosomichi (about 45 minutes on the Ohfukasawa Promenade). There is “Shitomae barrier for defense” nearby.
ohfukasawa promenade (1)
ohfukasawa promenade (2)
ohfukasawa promenade (3)
ohfukasawa promenade (4)
ohfukasawa promenade (5)
ohfukasawa promenade (6)
ohfukasawa promenade (7)
ohfukasawa promenade (8)
ohfukasawa promenade (9)
ohfukasawa promenade (10)
ohfukasawa promenade (11)
ohfukasawa promenade (12)
ohfukasawa promenade (13)
ohfukasawa promenade (14)
ohfukasawa promenade (15)
ohfukasawa promenade (16)
“Shitomae barrier for defense”
The literal translation of the Japanese word naruko into English is a crying child. There is a theory that Naruko was named after the cry of a child that Minamoto no Yoshitsune’s wife gave birth to while he was on his way to Hiraizumi, and that the place was named “Shitomae barrier for defense” because the child urinated there for the first time.
Basho is said to have been suspicious of this barrier official when he was leaving for Yamagata, and he also wrote a poem in which he woke up to a horse urinating on his bedside in the stable of a private house where he was staying in the constant rain. However, it is said that this is just an exaggeration since they probably won’t be able to sleep in the stables. When I read that haiku for the first time, I believed it with all my heart.
