Breakfast
Our Ryokan provided a complimentary breakfast and we headed down early so we could beat the rush for rowboats. Upon arrival in the breakfast area we were each given this large tray with an assortment of different food items. I was really impressed with the variety that this “free” breakfast offered! For me I really enjoyed the tamago and the grilled fish, they were especially yummy!
Boating in Takachiho Gorge
With our tummies filled we headed back to Takachiho. It was considerably less busy than yesterday. We enjoyed the short walk from the parking lot to the dock. Where the sun was at the time of day offered us a very beautiful stroll. When we arrived, we were able to get on a boat pretty quickly!
I’m thankful that Salmonella offered to row, he mentioned it was a bit awkward because of the way the oars are secured to the boats. Also when you get near some of the other boats, it soon turns into a mess of boat hulls and oars. But overall the area is amazingly beautiful and we all got to enjoy one of the prettiest places I’ve seen whilst in Japan.
We were fortunate to have come at the time that we did. The way the sun hit the gorge allowed for some stunning visuals which I enjoyed immensely!
Nagashi Somen
Back in Canada, a viral video had come out a few years back of people catching noodles that flowed down a bamboo chute full of water. It looked super novel and it had always been in the back of my mind to seek it out if I ever visited Japan. When we arrived in Takachiho we learned that this type of cuisine is called Nagashi Somen and was offered! Even though we weren’t super hungry after the large breakfast we had not too long ago. We really wanted to try it. For an affordable 500 yen, we all sat down for a “snack” before hitting the road.
It was such a neat experience! There is an employee at the start of the track watching to see if we were ready, and when we were they would drop some noodles into the chute. the small bunch of noodles would flow down the stream and depending on who was available we’d try to catch it, dip it in the sauce and slurp it up! Aside from it being a whole lot of fun, the noodles and sauce were really tasty. It wasn’t a super hot day but I could totally see this being a refreshing meal for those summer days.
Yamamizuki
Unfortunately, our time in Takachiho was up and we needed to head to our next destination. One of the places that Salmonella was very excited for us to visit was an onsen town. This was a town with many natural hot springs, where if you wanted to, you could hop from bath to bath throughout the town. When we started looking at places to stay, we all decided that we’d splurge a little and book a nice ryokan for this trip. We ended up booking at one called Yamamizuki and we were NOT DISAPPOINTED! When we arrived, we all realized that we were in store for a treat. This place is beautifully put together, situated in a picturesque wooded valley.
Upon checking in and getting settled we soon heard a knock at our door and we were treated to a welcome snack and tea served by a traditionally dressed host!
We realized we were in for high level of service and was excited for what our time at this place would offer!
Kurokawa Onsen
After tea, we wanted to go into Kurokawa and check it out. Thankfully Yamamizuki offers a shuttle that runs between the ryokan and the city center. As we were leaving the staff let us know that we should check out their sister ryokan Sinmeikan in town as we’d get free admission to their baths.
We spent a bit of time enjoying the baths at Sinmeikan. While my second experience in the baths was a little bit better than the first, I still found it a bit disorientating when getting out from the hot water. In fact one of the baths we tried was inside a cave and so the air was already quite steamy and humid, so that didn’t help. However it was still a very unique experience to either be in the cave, or outside (with the appropriate obstructions from curious eyes of course).
Exploring Kurokawa
Kurokawa is a small but beautiful town nestled in the mountains. It felt like similar to a ski resort type town with lots of little inns and chalet like buildings. Except instead of winter sports being its “thing” it was hot spring baths.
Dinner at yamamizuki
By the time we got back to our ryokan it was late afternoon. As part of our booking with Yamamizuki, dinner and breakfast was included. Given our overall experience with this place already, we were all pretty eager for it. When it came time, we went to the first floor “restaurant” named Hanahenpen, where each room had its own private dining room. What followed was a ten course meal that was beautifully prepared, aesthetically pleasing and amazingly tasty! It would certainly challenge for “best meal of the trip”.
This was certainly a memorable meal. It was very different than anything I had expected, seemed amazing authentic and hit so many different notes. We all left extremely happy and satisfied!
Evening Bath
After dinner we all wanted to check out the Yamamizuki onsen. After seeing how beautiful this ryokan was, we were eager to check out its bath. This was the redemption onsen for me! While all my other onsen experiences were average at best, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at this one. I think one thing was that this was an outdoor bath in a beautiful riverside surrounding. It was also in the evening and the air was cooler. So while the water was just as warm as the others, it was manageable to breath, you could cool by getting out, and simply enjoy the nature around you. It was an awesome experience and also a good opportunity for FunkyCat, Salmonella and I to chat and bond as well.
All in all it was a great day of natural beauty, amazing food and bonding! Can’t wait to see what’s next!