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February 11, 2019February 15, 2019

Shimobe Onsen and Hayakawa Valley

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This post is part of a series called Japan 2017
Show More Posts
  • Hie shrine
  • Akasaka Hikawa Shrine
  • Hibiya park
  • Fuji Five Lakes
  • Shiraito Falls
  • Yamadaya Hotel
  • Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha
  • Kaminoyu Onsen
  • Minobusan Kuonji
  • Shimobe Onsen and Hayakawa Valley
  • Aburaya
  • Suwako
  • Takashima castle
  • Suwa Taisha
  • Manji Stone Buddha
  • Kiso Valley: Ono-no-taki, Nezame-no-toko, Kiso-no-kakehashi
  • Kiso-Fukushima
  • From Kiso Valley to Shirahone Onsen
  • Matsumoto

On the third day of my road trip after spending early afternoon hours at Minobusan Kuonji I headed to the nearby Shimobe Onsen, where I had a ryokan booked for the night. This is a typical countryside hot spring village, rather small I would say – smaller then I expected and not very lively. Maybe it was because of the rain, but the place almost felt deserted when I arrived around 3 pm – I thought I would stroll around and explore, but there was nothing to explore. I just took a couple of pictures of one pretty building they have there and checked in into my ryokan, Umezono. Soaking in a hot spring bath seemed like a better idea.

Shimobe Onsen, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan
The pretty building belongs to Yukiya ryokan.
Shimobe Onsen, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan
As is often the case with hot spring villages, most ryokans are situated along the river.
Shimobe Onsen, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan
The mineral spring itself is actually quite old, appearing in many historical records. Famous historical figures such as Nichiren, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Takeda Shingen are said to have bathed in Shimobe.

Shimobe Onsen, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

I wasn’t particularly impressed with baths at Umezono (they don’t even have a rotenburo), but was very impressed with their food – dinner was the best meal I had during that trip and one of my best meals in Japan ever. Thumbs up to Umezono for that, but apart from food nothing really stood out.

Because there was nothing more to do in Shimobe I had to think of another place to go next morning. After a quick search online Hayakawa valley came up, it was only about half an hour drive, and waterfall pictures looked promising. I like waterfalls, not least because they are weatherproof. Doesn’t matter if it rains or not – It’s all the same at a waterfall, so I settled for the Kenshin-no-taki. It was close and seemed easy to get to.

Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan
Following route 32 into Hayakawa valley

Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

Kenshin-no-taki, Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan
Kenshin-no-taki

And it was beautiful. Small, pretty, completely deserted (which in this case is a good thing), with some trees around starting to change color. It often so happens that spontaneous decisions make for the most memorable travel moments, and this was precisely the case.

Kenshin-no-taki, Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

Kenshin-no-taki, Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan
Small shrine dedicated to Fudo Myo-o. This deity has a strong connection to ascetic practices of shugendo – and to waterfalls, that also often served as training grounds for shugendo practitioners.

Kenshin-no-taki, Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

Kenshin-no-taki, Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

Kenshin-no-taki, Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

Kenshin-no-taki, Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

Kenshin-no-taki, Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan
Small road that brought me here.
Kenshin-no-taki, Hayakawa, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan
My small rental car squeezed into a tiny parking space.
Autumn
Posted in Japan
Tagged onsen
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