valley | Japanese Countryside Travel Notes

2025-06-172025-06-22

The charm of Kikuchi Gorge is its deep pools

The entrance is located quite a way down the slope from the northern outer rim of Mt. Aso to the west. This gorge has an abundant amount of water and is deep, so the sun does not penetrate to the bottom of the gorge. That’s why the color of the pool is a deep blue and mysterious. The only time the light penetrates to the bottom of the gorge, illuminating the curtain of water vapor rising from the pool, is early in the morning in early summer, when the gorge is apparently occupied by many photographers.

kikuchi gorge2 kakefu fall

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kikuchi gorge15 tree on the rock

kikuchi gorge18 hirokawara

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kikuchi gorge22

It’s a two-hour circular course that goes up and down and doesn’t have many ups and downs, but for some reason it takes longer than that. Perhaps it’s because you’re bathed in negative ions and there are a series of spectacular waterfalls and pools.

For your refference, I recommend sevral as below.

Narugo Gorge(Miyagi Prefecture)
Hugging Gorge(Akita Prefecture)
Nakatsugawa Valley(Fukushima Prefecture)
Geibikei Canyon(Iwate Prefecture)
Oirase Valley(Aomori Prefecture)

Detour (Aso Skyline Observatory)

There are several observation decks on the outer rim of Mt. Aso. The most representative of these is Daikanbo, which juts out slightly into the caldera basin from within the outer rim, and from there you can see the Aso mountain range directly ahead from due north. However, it takes a little time to get to the top of the observation deck, including the walking time, and the Aso Skyline Observatory solves this problem. The observation deck is right on the side of the road. It is on the way to Kikuchi Gorge.

aso viewpoint1 left

aso viewpoint2 kuju

aso viewpoint3 somma

aso viewpoint4

aso viewpoint5 nekodake

aso viewpoint6 kusasennri

aso viewpoint7 somma

aso viewpoint8 right

Detour (Lunch time)

Going back a little to Minamioguni Town, in a really small basin surrounded by mountains, there is an apple mint herb garden and a natural food restaurant called “Kaze no Mori (Forest with wind).” I love the plate with colorful vegetables, so I always stop by here. You can enjoy a leisurely lunch while looking at the farm. The assortment of various herbs is a great deal.

apple mint0

apple mint3 pumpkin soup

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apple mint2

climbing18 mitsumata mountain from kutsukake mountain — Goback to itinerary

2024-11-192024-11-19

Shosenkyo Gorge, the source of power stones

There are three parking lots along the 5km promenade. There is also a bus stop at each parking lot, which connects these parking lots once almost every hour, so it is convenient because you can walk one way and then use the bus to return to the parking lot.

shosenkyo (1)

shosenkyo (2)

shosenkyo (3)

shosenkyo (4)

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shosenkyo (8)

As you climb the gentle promenade, you will see one after another of strangely shaped rocks carved out of granite by rapids. The amount of water is huge, and large rocks that appear to have fallen in chunks are scattered along the mountain stream. The scenery looks like something out of a Chinese ink painting. And at the end, there is a waterfall that falls violently vertically.

shosenkyo (7)

shosenkyo (9)

shosenkyo (10)

shosenkyo (11)

shosenkyo (12)

shosenkyo (13)

shosenkyo (14)

shosenkyo (15)

shosenkyo (16)

Yamanashi Prefecture has long been famous as a crystal production area. It is said that since the Jomon period it was used as an arrowhead instead of the precious obsidian mined in nearby Suwa, so in retrospect, it is quite expensive, so I hesitate to shoot it carelessly with a bow. Quartz is formed when silicon dioxide dissolved in water gradually crystallizes under high temperature and pressure underground for a long time. At a souvenir shop, a stone cut in half (a geode) is on display, and you can see how the cavity is filled with crystals that have grown. It was strange that it was inside the stone, but I heard from the man at the crystal processing craft shop that it was the result of water containing silicon dioxide entering granite or igneous rock and gradually growing crystals. That made sense to me.

shosenkyo stone (1) tiger eye

shosenkyo stone (2)

shosenkyo stone (3)

I was completely taken in by the store owner, and in the end I was forced to buy a bracelet made of terahertz stone, which was made by melting and alloying crystals. It is said that the power stone activates the body with terahertz. However, when I got home and put it on ice, I was surprised to see that the ice quickly melted into the shape of a bracelet. By the way, if you buy some tourmaline and add it to your tap water, it will remove the chlorine odor and make the water mellow, which will make the coffee you brew delicious.

erinji (10) letters written on military flag — Go back to itinerary

2021-10-312021-10-31

Yokokawa Valley with calm and peaceful Chourou Lake was a true discovery !

Ordinary people will go to Miyagi Zao Fox Village near here, but countryside lovers can’t pass Yokokawa Valley and Chourou Lake which are located on the foot of Mt.Zao.

The name of Zao comes from the fact that Zao Gongen, mountain religion, was separated from the Kinpusenji Temple in Yoshino, Nara, where cherry blossoms bloom all over the mountain. Before then, a part of the predecessor of this Zao name was called Mt. Fubousan, now which can be seen well from Yokokawa Valley and Chourou Lake. It is a mountain that has appeared in Japanese classics, and it means a mountain that you never forget in literary.

The idyllic view of Chourou Lake and the view of Mt. Fubousan from the longest suspension bridge in Tohoku will be a memory you will never forget.

Gallery (click photos)

yokokawa valley suspension bridge

yokokawa valley and mt.fubou

yokokawa valley damm lake

chourou lake2

yokokawa valley jizo

chourou lake3

2020-11-162020-11-15

deep Nakatsugawa Valley with bright autumn leaves

The normal tourist overlooks here, but those who love the countryside cannot. You can enjoy the autumn colors even from the bridge, but for those with good legs, let’s go down the deep valley 15min for one way.

Gallery (click phtos)

nakatsugawa valley bridge

nakatsugawa valley under the bridge

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nakatsugawa valley viewpoint

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Panoramic view of Onogawa and Akimoto Lake (click photos)

On the way to Nakatsugawa Valley, Bandai-Azuma Lake Line(road) runs along the ridge. The mountains colored in autumn colors looked like broccoli !

onogawa lake

onogawa lake broccoli

onogawa lake viewpoint

akimoto lake

tou no hetsuri shrine — Go back to itinerary

2020-09-282020-09-24

Matsukawa Valley near Hot Spring

columnar joint

On the way to Matsukawa Hot Spring village there is a local but famous attraction that tourists miss in the countryside.
Columnar joint with autumn colors decoration welcome you when getting off on the river. It is located on the east side across the river, so it would be better in the afternoon to take a photo of shining autumn colors with columnar joint under the sun. Near here the view from “the big bridge of forest ” is also recommended.

Surrounded by Mt.Hachimantai and Mt. Iwate, the Matsukawa basin is a countryside full of autumn colors. It is the best place to enjoy autumn in Tohoku.

matsukawa valley from the big bridge of forest

2020-09-222020-09-23

Oirase Valley in the rain

It rains! It rains! It rains! …….

Is there something like this? Even thought it’s the highlight of the tourist spot ! But few tourists and the roof of trees as an umbrella made us refreshing.

oirase valley waterfall 3 — oirase valley waterfall here and there

Surprisingly a few person walk* from Ishigedo to Choshi-Ohtaki for 4 hours. Walking road almost goes along the Oirase river and is flat like the flow. Let’s watch slowly calm flow and attractive waterfalls here and there. Choshi-Ohtaki(big waterfall) flown from Lake Towada welcome you at the goal. Coincidentally we saw the moment when part of the waterfall wall collapsed with explosive sound. I’m sure the wallrock broke along the columnar joints.

*)You can pick up a bus almost every hour at several bus stops on the way. If you use a rental car, it would be difficult to find out your parking space at Ishigedo in high season, especially weekend.
At Ishigedo, the cup of coffee using Oirase flesh water after long walk was full of bliss !