Scenic Drive from Yufuin to Kurokawa Onsen with stops at Tengu Falls, Kokonoe Yume Otsurihashi and Tadewara Wetlands

4 November 2024

From one onsen town, we drove to another. Kurokawa Onsen is only 48 km from Yufuin and the driving time without stopping was slightly over an hour. We planned to make some slight detours in order to see Kyusuikei Gorge with Tengu Waterfall, Kokonoe Yume Otsurihashi suspension bridge and the Tadewara Wetlands along the way.

We left Yufuin at about 11 AM via National Highway 210 with Kokonoe’s Tengu Waterfall as our first stop. National Highway 210 was easy to drive. We came via this highway when we drove to Yufuin the day before. From Highway 210, we turned into the smaller and narrower Route 40. The country road followed a river and was quite scenic, with views of the river, paddy fields, farmhouses and also forest.

As it winds its way up the mountain, we had to be more careful as this single carriageway has many sharp bends with blind corners. The width of the road is also not regular and at some parts barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other. I had to make a sudden stop at one point when the road suddenly narrows with an oncoming car heading down the slope towards me. If I did not stop, I would have sideswiped that car.

After the narrow escape and negotiating a few hairpin turns up the mountain, I was glad we arrived at a large car park near our first destination which is Tengu Falls at Kyusuikei Gorge. The car park is located next to a store that sells food and local produce and is within walking distance to the waterfall.

I was surprised by the number of cars in this large car park. Must have been due to the autumn season as Kyusuikei Gorge is one of the places in Kyushu that boasts of nice autumn foliage.

Car park at Kyusuikei Gorge. This place would be nice with autumn colours but the leaves were still mostly green.

Apparently, there is no free parking at this car park overlooking the gorge. An attendant handed us a ticket which we need to get validated when we buy food or things in the local product store.

Katsura Chaya

Naturally cooled drinks on sale. Take what you want and drop the money into the bamboo box on the left.

Katsura Chaya is a local produce store with a restaurant selling udon, soba noodles, rice bowls and drinks. We did not really like the food in the menu and there was a queue at the store to order the food. We went to check out a food stall in front of the store instead. There was a man grilling dango (Japanese dumplings) and yamame (local river fish) on skewers over a charcoal fire. I had read that the grilled fish here is good.

Yamame grilling over a charcoal fire.

We bought a grilled yamame for 800 yen and requested the vendor to validate our parking ticket. He charges 200 yen extra and stamped his mark on the 200 yen box on our parking ticket.  

We then took a seat on a table in the restaurant with views of the gorge below. While my wife started on the fish, I went to use the washroom. When I returned, she was gone.

Grilled yamame on skewer.

Apparently, the tables in the restaurant were meant for customers who ordered from the menu in the restaurant. We had been asked to move to a table behind the fish stall.

OK, our bad. We had assumed that the stall is affiliated to the chaya.

The grilled fish looked charred and overcooked. We used the chopsticks to remove the charred skin. Surprisingly, the flesh inside has a delicate texture with a delicious and sweet taste. 

Tengu Waterfall

We went to take a look at Tengu Waterfall which was about 20 meters away. There is a little shrine overlooking the river and a pair of giant red slippers.

Shrine and red slippers in front of Tengu Falls.

Tengu Falls was not that impressive but the surrounding mountain air was fresh and cooling.

As we leave the car park, I handled the parking ticket to the attendant thinking that I had already validated the ticket and paid for the parking. He asked for 200 yen more. I was not sure how the parking system works. So I just pay up and get on with it.

Kokonoe Yume Otsurihashi

We arrived at the Kokonoe Yume Otsurihashi car park a short while later. Parking is free but entrance fee to the suspension bridge is 500 Yen per person.

On the side of the large car park there are restaurants and small shops offering local food, ice creams and local produce as well as a tourist information service and toilets. The ticket booth is at the tourist information center, not at the bridge.

We had to show our tickets to the attendants at the entrance to the gate before allowed entry. You are not allowed to cross the bridge with an umbrella due to possible strong wind. We put on our hiking jackets as it was quite chilly with the wind. 

The Kokonoe Yume Otsurihashi is Japan’s largest pedestrian suspension bridge.

Viewing the suspension bridge from the side, we could see the long span across the Kyusuikei valley.

The graceful bridge could sway a little as it was suspended by cables all the way at a height of 173 m above the river valley floor.

As I have a little fear of heights, it was thrilling for me to step on the bridge and view the deep ravine below. I was hoping no earthquake happens while we were on the bridge.

View of the Kyusuikei gorge from the middle of the bridge.

The views of the valley and the surrounding mountain were stunning. It would be even better during the peak autumn leaves season.              

The bridge is also a good place to view three waterfalls, collectively known as the Shindo Falls and renowned as one of Japan’s top 100 falls. They comprise the ‘child’ falls, Ko-daki, the ‘female’ falls, Me-daki and the ‘male’ falls, O-daki.

Snapping photos of the scenery.

The Ko-daki, the ‘female’ falls. I believe the small waterfall next to the main fall is the ‘child’ falls, Ko-daki.

The male falls is the most dramatic falling over 88 m. A bit of the autumn colours were visible.

With this sign, we were assured that we would be safe if Godzilla appears in the valley below.

It did not take long to cross the 390 m long bridge. At the other side, there are attendants checking for tickets as well, since there is an entry and exit gate. Visitors could leave from there to take a road up a hill where there is a shrine with a white python and also views of the bridge from a distance.

View from the opposite side of the bridge.

We did not continue up the hill and crossed the bridge again to get back to our car. From there it was a 10 minutes drive to Tadewara Wetlands.

Tadewara Wetlands

Situated on the northwest side of the Kuju Mountain Range at an elevation of approximately 1,000m above sea level, Tadewara Wetlands offers hikers and nature lovers a chance to take a walk through fields of flowering reeds in autumn, breathe fresh air while looking up to mountains nearby.

We parked at the free car park opposite the Chojabaru Visitors Center, crossed a signalised road junction to get to the entrance.  

Statue of a dog at the entrance.

We entered through a path next to the statue of a dog. We could not figure out the significance of the dog statue. It looked very much like the Hachiko statue in Tokyo but probably had a different back story.

In autumn, the wetland area is covered with tall brown reeds, very similar to those we saw at Jeju’s Sangumburi Crater. The silver reeds made the area very pretty.

Tall reeds with silvery flowers in autumn.

Tadewara Wetlands is a marshland with the size of about 45 football fields. There are three marked routes from the easiest (marked in orange, about 20 minutes, accessible to persons with reduced mobility), to the longest (marked in blue, 2.5km long and winding in the nearby forest).

Good detailed hiking information on the three trails is provided.

Raised wooden boardwalk through the wetlands.

Each route is on cedar-tree boardwalk specially built to allow close-up views of the flowers and plants growing in the wetlands without fear of trampling over them.

We chose to take the shortest route as we meant to do sightseeing, not long hikes on this day. This place is also the starting point for longer hikes to the nearby Mount Mimata.

Mount Mimata, part of the Kuju Mountain Range in the background.

Kuju mountains in the far distant.

The longer route will take hikers into the distant forest.

There are platforms with seats along the boardwalk for those who want to take a breather or linger amongst the field of reeds. We sat down on one of the seats to have a break and eat our Snickers bar. This place was really peaceful and relaxing. I wished we had more time to enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, scenic views and nature all around.

It was about 3.30 PM when we continued our drive to Kurokawa Onsen via Highway 11, also known as the Yamanami Highway. It is a scenic route that traverses through the Kuju mountain range. Originally, I had planned a short stop at the Makinoto Observatory to take a short hike to an observatory. I aborted this plan as we wanted to get to our ryokan in Kurokawa Onsen by 4 PM.

Kurokawa Onsen is one of Japan's most attractive hot spring towns with a pleasant, traditional atmosphere.

Kurokawa Onsen is an idyllic hot spring town, with charming traditional ryokans, and renowned as one of the most popular hot spring spots in Japan. The landscape is dominated by wooden buildings with natural colors and materials, earthen walls, stone stairs and a river flowing through.

Map showing the ryokans in Kurokawa Onsen.

After staying at the excellent Yufuin Bettei Itsuki ryokan in Yufuin, we would be pampering ourselves again at the Yamabiko Ryokan in Kurokawa Onsen.

Back entrance of Yamabiko Ryokan where we would be staying.

More about our stay at the Yamabiko Ryokan in Kurokawa Onsen in the next post.

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Hiking at Kikuchi Gorge in autumn

5 November 2024

Kikuchi Gorge (also known as Kikuchi Keikoku) is a 4 km long gorge located in the north-eastern part of Aso Kuju National Park. The fresh water in the Kikuchi River that meanders through the forest forms powerful rapids, deep blue pools, and plunging waterfalls. This gorge is perfect for nature lovers, photographers and hikers. It is blessed with scenic views of waterfall, blue pools, cool temperature and easy hiking paths. It is also a good spot to view the autumn foliage in Kyushu. Kikuchi Gorge is especially beautiful during the fall foliage season, when the area is covered in a carpet of colorful leaves.   

Getting to the Kikuchi Gorge is difficult by public transport. By car, it took us about 40 minutes to get to the gorge from Nabegataki Falls which was another outstanding place for nature lovers, fans of waterfalls and photographers.

Our plan for the day was to see Nabegataki Falls, hike at Kikuchi Gorge and then take the scenic Kikuchi Aso Skyline (Highway 45) up to the northern rim of the Aso caldera for the dramatic views from Daikanbo before descending into the caldera itself. Our accommodation for the night would be in Aso city.

We actually drove part of the Kikuchi Aso Skyine highway to get to Kikuchi Gorge from Nabegataki Falls but we did not make any stops since we knew we would be driving back up this way.

We parked at the car park (location here) about 200 metres away past the entrance to the gorge. The car park fee was 200 yen for our small car. There is a newly built washroom facilities. From the car park, it was a slight uphill walk along the sidewalk back to the entrance. Entrance fee to the gorge was 100 yen per person. It will be used for maintenance of the trail.

We went to Kikuchi Valley Visitor Center for coffee and ate our Snickers bar for the energy needed to do the morning hike. There are very clean and well maintained toilets at the visitor center as well.

Map of Kikuchi Gorge showing the routes and highlights to look out for.      

There are two routes to follow: a 30 minute and a 60 minute loop along the river bank and back down the other side. Both routes start after we crossed the red bridge.

Hydroelectric power weir and the red bridge we had to cross to start our hike.

We chose to do the longer 2 km route to fully experience Kikuchi Gorge. The trail is not difficult, going up slightly as we moved upriver. In autumn, the weather was nice and cool and felt like natural air-conditioning. 

First part of the trail. The rest of the trail going upriver is quite similar.

The first part of the trail passes through Shin Shikoku or Hill of 88 Stone Buddhas. We spotted only one of the stone Buddhas.

Stone Buddha covered in moss.

The trail followed the river closely. There were many photo opportunities since the  flowing rapids over moss covered boulders was so pretty. I took some long exposure shots of the rapids from the side of the trail.

Kikuchi Gorge offered many photo opportunities.

One of the many rapids on the river.

Long exposure shot of the water flowing over the moss covered boulders.

Further up, we came across a pool with some of the clearest and bluest water I had seen. We could hear the sound of the first waterfall which is Reimei Falls.

Pool with some of the clearest and bluest water.

"reimei," means dawn. Reimei Falls gets its name from the spray from the falls which resembles the mist at dawn. We came too late to see any mist in the gorge.

Information board explaining the name of Reimei Falls. There were many such boards along the trail.

Reimei Falls on the top. It further cascade down into the blue pool below.          

It is possible to walk quite close to the edge of the cliff to feel the roar of the water.

Slightly past the top of Reimei Falls is a place called Momiji-gase. The place is named after the many maple trees that grow on both sides of the river. There are footpaths from the main trails on both sides of the river that lead down to the water’s edge.

This is an ideal place to experience the autumn leaves in the gorge from late October to mid-November. Unfortunately, the weather in Kyushu (and the whole world in fact!) had been warmer than usual. As a result, the timing for the peak autumn foliage had been delayed by a few weeks. I read that even the first snowfall on top of Mount Fuji had been delayed this year. Mount Fuji usually has a cap of snow by early October. But this year, the first snowfall was on November 6, making this year's snowcap the latest to form since 1894 when records started.

Momijigase would have been stunning with red and yellow autumn leaves.

Long exposure shot of the boulders and water flowing.

The next waterfall we saw was the Tengu Falls. The 8 meters high Tengu Falls is one of the largest and loudest waterfalls in Kikuchi Gorge with water crashing on boulders before collecting in the Ryugabuchi Pool below.  

View of Tengu Falls and Ryugabuchi pool from the bridge.

A bridge over the pool offers an unobstructed view of the falls. This is also the bridge for hikers on the shorter route to cross the river and return to the entrance.

View from the bridge of the river flowing down the valley. So green and tranquil.

Long exposure photo of the flowing water.

Since we were taking the longer route, we did not cross this bridge but continued our hike upriver to the Yonjusanman (“Four hundred and thirty thousand”) Falls.  

Yonjusanman Falls

A signboard indicated that the average amount of water flowing through this waterfall in a single day is 430,000 koku (equivalent to 78,000 tons), hence the name.

Further uphill from Yonjusanman Falls, we saw the towering Hogan Keyaki, a zelkova (keyaki) tree that grows on top of a massive boulder. The roots of the tree hugged the boulder like tentacles. Apparently, the boulder used to be underground. Erosion has washed away the soil around it to reveal the roots of the tree and the bare boulder.

Hogan Keyaki, a zelkova (keyaki) tree that grows on top of a massive boulder.

We came to a large clearing with flat rocks and a wide section of the river where the water is shallow and flows relatively slowly. This area is known as Hirokawara was a good place to take a rest. It was also a good place to feel the river water which was icy cold.

Resting on the rocks by the river.

View at Hirokawara.

A bridge leads over the river to the trail that will return to the entrance of the gorge.

The second bridge is the furthest we would go on the longer route.

View from the second bridge.

The return path has rock cliffs on our left and the river on our right. There were signs warning of risk of falling rocks so we did a brisk walk. The return path towards the entrance was gently sloping downwards, making it much faster to return to the entrance.

On the return path to the entrance of Kikuchi Gorge.

Overall, we spent about 2 hours at the gorge including time for photos and rest. From the gorge, we drove back up the scenic Kikuchi Aso Skyline (Highway 45) up to the northern rim of the Aso caldera. I felt it was worth the detour to do the short easy hike at this beautiful place. My only regret was that we missed seeing the peak autumn leaves at this spot.

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