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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Our stay at Yamabiko Ryokan in Kurokawa Onsen

4 November 2024

People come to Kurokawa Onsen for only one thing – soaking in the onsen. The town has about thirty plus onsen inns to soak in. Most are clustered along the Tanohara River which winds its way through town, while a few are scattered further away.

One of the ryokans located next to the river that flow through Kurokawa Onsen.

Map showing the locations of the onsen inns in Kurokawa Onsen.

Each inn has rejuvenating hot spring baths that offers picturesque views of the water and leafy forest or gardens. Many of the inns offer superb kaiseki dinner and breakfast for guests who stay overnight.

Choosing which inns to stay is a matter of preference and budget. I shortlisted a few but not all are available when I tried to book a stay. Since the number of inns are limited, it is good to book about 3 months ahead.  

Initially, I managed to book a stay at the Yama no Yado Shinmeikan ryokan. It has the most iconic building in Kurokawa onsen with many people taking photos of the picturesque footbridge that leads to the entrance of the ryokan. 

Yama no Yado Shinmeikan ryokan and its footbridge across the Tanohara River that runs though the town.

Shinmeikan features 5 hot-spring baths, including a 30-metre long cave bath. Apparently, the founder of Shinmeikan spent 13 years carving the cave bath by himself with just a chisel.

Subsequently, Yamabiko Ryokan opened their rooms for booking. I managed to cancel my booking with Shinmeikan and booked a stay at Yamabiko Ryokan instead. Yamabiko Ryokan has 6 small private hot spring pools, either in wood or carved in the rock and 2 shared outdoor hot spring pools with views of the natural surroundings. The pictures of the outdoor hot spring at Yamabiko are more inviting than an onsen inside a cave, hence the switch.

Getting to Yamabiko Ryokan

We drove into Kurokawa Onsen, coming from Yufuin via the Yamanami Highway to the Senomoto Plateau. From there, Route 442 leads into town and the access road leading to Yamabiko Ryokan is just off Route 442. This means we need not have to drive our car through the narrow lanes in the town.

Layout of the ryokan

When we arrived at the entrance at about 4 PM, an attendant at the car park helped bring our luggage into the main building where we did our check-in processing. The restaurant and entrances to the 2 outdoor baths are also located in this building.

Main entrance to Yamabiko Ryokan facing the car park.

A nice garden with a koi pond is located behind the main building.

Colourful kois begging to be fed.

Entrance to the outdoor baths. One of the baths is women only, while the other is men only, alternating on a daily basis. The baths are surrounded by rocks and plants.  

Yamabiko Ryokan’s buildings are spread on both banks of the river with a covered bridge connecting the 2 sides within the inn’s precincts. This traditional ryokan has 18 Japanese-style and combined Japanese and Western-style guest rooms. The guest rooms are all located in the building across the bridge from the main building.

A footbridge over the Tanohara River connects the main lobby building with the accommodation building.

View of the accommodation block and the river from the footbridge.

Beautify vase of lilies at the entrance provides a nice fragrance.

We were assigned Room 101, located on the same level as the bridge and nearest to the lobby in the accommodation block. It is a Japanese-style room with tatami mats, futons, and ensuite toilet with washbasin. The room has a balcony that overlooks the river. This balcony is fitted with a coffee table and chairs. It is a perfect place to relax with a cup of coffee from the pantry.

Our room is right next to the connecting bridge and has nice views of the river and lush greenery. Steam was rising from the outdoor hot spring bath behind the trees. 

I could hear the faint, therapeutic sound of the flowing river while sipping my coffee.

The accommodation block also houses the 6 private baths located right next to the river. These are free to use anytime of the day without any need for prior reservations. The TV in the room has a channel that shows whether the baths are vacant or occupied. Bath towels and yukatas are provided in the room. Just go to the bath when it is vacant and lock the door before using. The TV screen will update the occupancy status.

TV in the room shows whether the baths are vacant or occupied. There are 2 family baths, suitable for families with kids.

Exploring Kurokawa Onsen

We made use of the time before sunset to explore Kurokawa Onsen. The town is pretty compact and can be easily explored on foot.

A back entrance from the ryokan leads directly to the town center.   

We spent about 30 minutes to explore the main strip and see the sights. By this time, most of the day-trippers had left and the town was quiet and peaceful. Those who find Yufuin too happening or touristy would love it here.

The town's lanes are lined with ryokans, public bath houses, a few attractive shops and cafes and a small shrine. The shops were closed or closing by this time. There are a few foot spas dotted around town. Most are free, while some charge a few hundred yen. Quiet and peaceful in the evening. 

Most shops were closed or closing by this time.

Enjoying a stroll through the quiet Kurokawa Onsen in the evening.

Ryokans line both sides of the river. Steam from their bath houses could be seen rising through the air.

I noticed the roads are very narrow and difficult to drive if there is another car coming from the opposite direction. I was glad that access to our ryokan was via the main highway.  

Car driving through the narrow lanes in Kurokawa Onsen to get to a ryokan.

We saw some people, dressed in yukatas, moving from one ryokan to the other. They are people who have purchased the Onsen Hopping Pass.

In Kurokawa Onsen, there is an Onsen Hopping Pass that is sold at the tourist information centre in town for ¥1300. With the Onsen Hopping Pass in the form of a giant wooden necklace, onsen lovers can pick up to three inns of their choice to soak in. A map detailing the services and onsens provided by each inn would be provided with the pass.     

Most inns offer single-sex baths and some inns offers mixed bathing. Pass holders can only access the public baths in these inns between 8.30 AM to 9 PM and not any private baths that are reserved for in-house guests.

I think the above is ideal for people who wants to try different onsens in town. It is also good for day-trippers (mostly from Fukuoka or Kumamoto) who had not booked a stay in Kurokawa Onsen. For us, Yamabiko Ryokan who has 6 private spas and 2 big shared baths is more than enough for us.

Enjoying the private onsens at Yamabiko Ryokan

We had our bath in the private onsens after we returned to our ryokan at 5 PM. We went to try the unique “hanging bath” first. This bath has a depth of 1.5 m and a “chin-up bar” over it. There is another bar on the surface where we can rest our body on.   

Resting on the bar on the surface of the hanging bath.

Doing chin-ups in water for the fun of it.

We only had time to soak on one of the 6 available baths before it was time for dinner. We can try the rest of the baths anytime during our stay.

Yukatas are provided and we could wear them for dinner as well as to the onsens.

Kaiseki Dinner

One of the best thing about staying in Yamabiko Ryokan with half board is their excellent kaiseki dinner.     

Outside the private dining room located in the main building.

We had our dinner in a private room located in the main building. A menu for the various courses in the kaiseki dinner were provided. Unfortunately, it is all in Japanese and I had to use Google Translate. The server speaks a little English and provided some instructions on how to best enjoy each course that was served up.

The appetiser, consisting of an assortment of 7 elements and a plate of sashimi was on our table when we were seated. There was also a cup of the proprietress’s homemade umeshu (plum wine) and a small bowl of gingko tofu with grilled eggplant, carrots and wasabi. The appetiser included the karashi renkon (lotus root stuffed with a spicy paste made from miso and Japanese mustard). It is considered a specialty of Kumamoto prefecture in Kyushu. There was also a snail!

Appetiser includes a sea snail, chestnut, karashi renkon (lotus root stuffed with a spicy paste made from miso and Japanese mustard), yam wrap with something and tasty sauce on top, edamame and jelly, cherry tomato stuffed with yoghurt.

The plum wine in the small cup was very nice. If only we could have more! Drinks not included except for ice water and hot green tea.

The sashimi plate was very interesting as it included a plate of raw meat next to a plate of the usual raw fish with 2 different dipping sauce. The server told us the thinly sliced raw meat presented like a rose was horse sashimi (basashi) and is best eaten with a dip in the sweet soy sauce and garnished with finely chopped green onions, grounded ginger and sweet white onion slices.

Sashimi course with basashi and seafood.

We had never tasted horse meat before, let alone eating it raw but this is a must try since basashi is the most famous specialty of Kumamoto, Japan's largest producer of horse meat. The meat is quite lean and delicious with the garnishing and sauce. In any case, I still preferred my meat to be cooked.

The seafood sashimi was fresh (as expected) and delicious with the soya sauce and wasabi.

Once we were done with the appetisers and sashimi courses, the server brought us a plate of raw Misai wagyu beef from Kumamoto Prefecture with assorted root vegetables. She then lit up the stove with a piece of lava rock on top. This is the lava grilling course and we were to cook our beef and root vegetables using the hot stone.

Grilling our wagyu beef and root vegetables using the hot lava stone.  

While waiting for the grilled food to cook, we were served a soup and the steamed courses.

Soup dish  -   clear soup with fish, yuju skin and matsutake mushroom.

Chawanmushi with steamed barley and prawns.

I also enjoyed eating the grilled salt yamame trout on skewers. My wife ate it using chopsticks. For me, I just bite and eat the whole fish with the skin, bones and all, except the head, tail and belly. 

Salt-grilled yamame trout on skewer.

Next came the rice and tempura course. The tempura consists of green pepper, lotus root and eggplant. The rice came with salted vegetables (pickled mustard green), sour pickled onions and crunchy pickled radish and a bowl of milky looking miso soup with tofu. Rice and tempura courses.

We finished the kaiseki dinner with a cheesecake made with Oguni-grown sweet potato and seasonal fruits like persimmons, orange and melon.

Overall, the dinner served is delicious and filling. We had a chance to try the local Kumamoto delicacies such as basashi which I would never order in a restaurant.

Onsen hopping within Yamabiko Ryokan

After dinner, I went to use the outdoor onsen. I had the whole onsen to myself. No photo-taking is allowed in the shared onsen and although I was alone, I resisted the temptation to take photos.

Outdoor onsen at Yamabiko Ryokan has rock pool surrounded by trees. Photo taken from ryokan’s brochure.

The hot spring is nicely lit at night and I had a relaxing soak in the outdoor pool. I actually prefer the large outdoor onsen instead of the enclosed private onsens. The only downside was that there was no showering facility at the outdoor onsen. I went to the private indoor onsen to have a further soak and shower before going to bed.  

Another one of the private hot spring baths at Yamabiko.

This family bath has two pools. The source of the hot water is from the tree sculpture at the upper pool. The lower one has a lower temperature, suitable for kids.

      
In Yamabiko’s Japanese-style rooms, we slept on futons laid out over the tatami mats on the floor. The beddings were prepared by the ryokan’s staff while we were having our dinner. The futons provided were quite thick and comfortable.

Comfortable thick futons in the Japanese-style room.

Breakfast at Yamabiko Ryokan

Breakfast was served in the same private room where we had our dinner.

Breakfast all laid out for us when we entered.

Yamabiko serves a delicious Japanese breakfast with rice, pickles, salad, grilled fish, hot steamed food and many other elements. 

After breakfast, I had time to go to the last private hot spring at Yamabiko Ryokan before checking out.

Another private hot spring at Yamabiko Ryokan. This one has views of the river.

Check out processing was fast. I just need to pay the 300 yen (150 yen/person) onsen tax on top of my pre-paid stay.

We finally saw the ryokan’s big and friendly dog at the lobby.

Ryokan’s big and friendly dog.

The elderly ryokan staff helped us bring our luggage to our car. He had a white towel in his hand to clean the condensations off my windscreen and side mirrors before bidding us goodbye. This is typical service and hospitality in a quality Japanese inn.

Overall, we had a very satisfying stay at Yamabiko Ryokan. Good food, good facilities, good service and good memories.

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