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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Nabegataki Falls

5 November 2024

Nabegataki Falls is one of the most impressive waterfalls on the island of Kyushu in Japan and is only a 30 minutes drive from Kurokawa Onsen.

Although we visited on a weekday, I bought our entry tickets online (300 yen per person) one day before as it was recommended to do so during peak travel season where there may be a quota set for ticket sale. Once payment is made, we received an email with our tickets in the form of QR codes.

I had planned to visit this waterfall in the morning as I have read that the best time to take photos at this place is with the rays of the morning sun, streaming in through the leaves of the forest canopy and lighting up the mist in the air.

We arrived at the falls at 9.40 AM. There are free parking at Nabegataki Falls and there were plenty of spaces. After showing our QR codes to the attendants, we walked down a flight of steps into the valley below. The walk to the waterfall only takes five minutes but we took some time to appreciate the tall trees along the way.        

Path leading down to the waterfall.

Appreciating the tall trees and fresh morning air at Nabegataki Falls.

 A sign warns of snakes but we did not see any. Just a precaution, I guess.

The path would lead visitors to the side of the waterfall. We went off the path to view the falls from the river bank. Although the falls at 10 meters height and 20 meters width is not very big, it is extremely beautiful with the water cascading down gracefully in a gentle arc.

The falls are 10 meters high and 20 meters wide, with a curtain of water that is illuminated by sunlight.

I was slightly disappointed that we could not see the rays of the morning sun streaming through the trees. The sky was cloudy and the morning mist had already dissipated. Nevertheless, the waterfall is extremely attractive and I set up my Samsung S24 on a slim tripod to take some long exposure shots. I was glad I had learnt to use the newly available built-in Neutral Density (ND) Filter feature in the phone’s camera for such shots.

Setting up my phone mounted on my flimsy tripod on top of some moss covered rocks.

Nabegataki Falls is very popular and there are visitors streaming by almost continuously. It was good we came early and there were no bus loads of visitors. I had to be patient to wait for fellow visitors to get out of the frame so I could take my shots. I was glad my wife was patient with me and I could take my time to get the shots I wanted.

Long exposure shot of Nabegataki Falls.

Setting up my phone camera at the sides of the falls.

Long exposure shot of Nabegataki Falls from a different perspective. 

One cool feature of Nabegataki Falls is that we could see back of the waterfall. We walked behind the wide curtain of water, underneath the rock face that the torrent of water was pouring down from.

A rocky and muddy path leads to a cave behind the falls.

View from behind the waterfall.

See the lines on the floor where water level had recently been at. 

We could walk all the way to the opposite side of the waterfall from the back. Panoramic view of the waterfall.

A couple photo in front of the falls.             

Most people would return via the path behind the waterfall again. The more adventurous ones could skip over the rocks across the river in front of the waterfall if the water level was not too high. This was what we did.

Instead of going behind the falls, this group decides to cross over to the opposite side via the rocks first.

A fellow photographer had set up a tripod with a DSLR on some large rocks near the middle of the river. I set up my phone and tripod slightly behind to shoot a few photos from this viewpoint as well.

Photo of me and the other photographer taken by my wife.

One last long exposure shot of the waterfall from the center of the river.

After experiencing the beauty of Nabegataki Falls, it was good to understand how this waterfall was formed. Like many wonderful places in Kyushu, the Aso volcano was involved.

Information on how the waterfall in its present form was crafted by mother nature and father time.

A massive eruption from Mount Aso occurred approximately 90,000 years ago. The eruption created the Aso caldera that we would be visiting later in the day and the geological formations that the Nabegataki River cascades over.

The pyroclastic flow from the volcano’s eruption deposited over the existing river and hardened into rock to form the upper part of the present waterfall. The strata of soft sediment that used to be the existing river forms the lower layer.

Over the thousands of years, the softer layers was eroded by water flowing down the river and then the waterfall. This created the space at the back of the waterfall  that looks like a cave with the harder upper layer forming a cantilever over it.

Overall, we spent about an hour at this special place. Definitely a must see when visiting the northern part of Kyushu.

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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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