We come to the conclusion of this trilogy by ending in Kinugawa Onsen, an area west of the temples that is based around the Kinugawa River Valley area. This area is known for its hot spring resorts. I had originally planned on traveling much further north to a park area that contains a volcano, but travel logistics once again foiled these plans. Instead, I set my sights on some place closer, that being Ryuoukyo Gorge.

Ryuoukyo Gorge

I knew the weather forecast wasn’t favorable, so I tried to get the train here as early in the day as I could. I had hoped that the rain would hold off (at least until I was finished hiking), which it did. While I spent a few hours hiking and stopping to take photos, the outing didn’t produce as many photos as I had hoped. Still, this seemed like one of the only real viable options for a day like today.

Just as I huffed and puffed my way back, I could feel little droplets starting to fall. Luckily, it didn’t become more than that. This meant that I was able to enjoy chocolate ice cream as a reward for my hiking.

That evening, I decided to eat at my hotel’s little mom-and-pop restaurant, which was located somewhere within the hotel’s labyrinth of hallways and stairs. When I did find it, I saw that no one else was there. I had just assumed that more people would be interested in eating there, but I was wrong. I poked my head inside, and the husband and wife were watching TV. When they saw me, they seemed eager to have me inside. It was small and narrow-looking. I ordered some gyoza (Japanese dumplings) and a ramen soup with pork. It came with some small pickled veggies. The whole meal was delicious!

Later that evening, I decided to try out the hotel’s sento (indoor/outdoor hot spring). Looking for it was, again, a task in and of itself, but eventually I was able to track it down. This involved quickly skipping through the rain. Once inside, the weather actually seemed perfect for such an occasion. I particularly enjoyed being in the outermost pool and lying on the rocks while the rain sprinkled down.

Before going to dinner, I had tried on the provided yukata (a traditional Japanese bathrobe worn to an onsen or sento). I decided not to wear it to the sento, but I’m sure I could have pulled it off if I had chosen to. What do you think?

Overall, this three-day trip felt like just the right length (even though I still hope to be able to see Hokkaido in autumn at some point).

Stay tuned for my next trip from when I went to Mount Fuji!