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July,2018
Bandai-Azuma Skyline Offers Great Views from Above the Clouds
By the way, Takayu Onsen is located part of the way up Mt. Azuma at an altitude of 750 meters, some twenty kilometers west of Fukushima Station via National Route 70. Takayu Onsen, the northern entrance to the Skyline, is a convenient staging area for a visit to Jododaira.
Selected as one of Japan’s 100 best roads, Bandai-Azuma Skyline has an average altitude of 1,350 meters. As its name suggests, this “road to the sky” weaves its way high up through the magnificent Azuma Mountain Range. It was also selected as one of the six most scenic roads in Japan by Japanese bikers for it great views.
One of the Skyline’s must-see spots is the scenic Tsubakuro Valley. On the mountain side of the 84 meter-tall arch bridge that spans the deep ravine, you can see Fudotaki Falls. On the valley side of the bridge, you can see the overlapping green mountaintops and the cityscape of Fukushima City off in the distance. Being the most scenic part of the Skyline, Tsubakuro Valley is equipped with parking spaces and restrooms. During the fall foliage season, it is busy with tourists even on weekdays (the photo above shows the valley in fall). If you are ever passing through the area, I strongly recommend you stop and enjoy the dynamic panoramic view.
A bit further down the road, once you have passed the scenic wetland known as Tengu no Niwa, the atmosphere makes drastically changes. The green of plants suddenly disappears, and a desolate atmosphere of little more than bare rock appears. This is Iodaira. Here, you can see the signs that you are standing on a still-active volcano. Due to the presence of dense volcanic gasses, stopping your car or even opening a window is prohibited. This landscape where life and death sit side by side is a strong contrast to nearby Jododaira.
The Jododaira Wetlands, a 1,600 Meter-high Flower Garden of the Sky
After filling myself with curry, it was time to head to Mt. Azuma-kofuji. The trailhead is located across the road on the other side of the parking lot. After climbing the steep, stair-like trail for 15 minutes or so, sweat pouring down my face, I arrived at the peak!
I never grow tired of the stunning sight of Mt. Azuma-kofuji, some 500 meters across and 70 meters tall. The mountain, which got its name from its Mt. Fuji-esque symmetric appearance, is a caldera that formed during an eruption about six millennia ago. There is currently no water in the crater lake, and the ragged pebbles that cover its circumference may give you the mistaken impression that you have arrived on some alien planet (laughs).
By the way, you can walk the 1.5 kilometer circumference of the crater lake in about an hour. If you have time after enjoying the scenery at the peak, I suggest taking a lap around the caldera before heading back down. The crater wall is only 3-4 meters wide at some points. Watch your step on the trail, which is covered in pebbles and easy to slip on. And try not to look down! Despite these difficulties, at the top you’ll be treated to an amazing 360-degree panoramic view! The Jododaira Wetlands and the cityscape of Fukushima City below appear almost like a diorama from this height. Depending on your luck, you might even be able to encounter a magnificent sea of clouds. Due to the strong winds at the peak, you need to bring a jacket. That said, there are few other places where you can enjoy such a view with such light clothing.
After coming down from the mountain and walking on the side of the road, I arrived at a promenade that extends to Lake Okenuma (there is also a route from the Jododaira Wetlands). Despite its compact size, Lake Okenuma, also formed by a volcano, boasts the deepest water depth in all of Jododaira at 13 meters deep. It is notable for its beautiful cobalt blue water. While the banks of Lake Okenuma cannot be approached, the lake can be viewed from an observation platform accessible by walking up the mountain forest for about 10 minutes. The seasonal scenery reflected in the surface of this lake surrounded by deep forest is quite mystical. The beauty of the fall foliage of the deciduous trees such as Erman's birch, Japanese rowan, and Japanese maple that line its perimeter are truly a treasure of autumn. The observational platform features a stone monument containing the words of a poem written for the owner of an inn at Takayu Onsen in 1916 by Mokichi Saito, a poet who loved Mt. Azuma’s natural beauty (For details, see Takayu Onsen’s official homepage.).
Enjoying an Adult Summer Vacation at a Quiet Mountain Retreat
After filling myself with curry, it was time to head to Mt. Azuma-kofuji. The trailhead is located across the road on the other side of the parking lot. After climbing the steep, stair-like trail for 15 minutes or so, sweat pouring down my face, I arrived at the peak!
I never grow tired of the stunning sight of Mt. Azuma-kofuji, some 500 meters across and 70 meters tall. The mountain, which got its name from its Mt. Fuji-esque symmetric appearance, is a caldera that formed during an eruption about six millennia ago. There is currently no water in the crater lake, and the ragged pebbles that cover its circumference may give you the mistaken impression that you have arrived on some alien planet (laughs).
By the way, you can walk the 1.5 kilometer circumference of the crater lake in about an hour. If you have time after enjoying the scenery at the peak, I suggest taking a lap around the caldera before heading back down. The crater wall is only 3-4 meters wide at some points. Watch your step on the trail, which is covered in pebbles and easy to slip on. And try not to look down! Despite these difficulties, at the top you’ll be treated to an amazing 360-degree panoramic view! The Jododaira Wetlands and the cityscape of Fukushima City below appear almost like a diorama from this height. Depending on your luck, you might even be able to encounter a magnificent sea of clouds. Due to the strong winds at the peak, you need to bring a jacket. That said, there are few other places where you can enjoy such a view with such light clothing.
After coming down from the mountain and walking on the side of the road, I arrived at a promenade that extends to Lake Okenuma (there is also a route from the Jododaira Wetlands). Despite its compact size, Lake Okenuma, also formed by a volcano, boasts the deepest water depth in all of Jododaira at 13 meters deep. It is notable for its beautiful cobalt blue water. While the banks of Lake Okenuma cannot be approached, the lake can be viewed from an observation platform accessible by walking up the mountain forest for about 10 minutes. The seasonal scenery reflected in the surface of this lake surrounded by deep forest is quite mystical. The beauty of the fall foliage of the deciduous trees such as Erman's birch, Japanese rowan, and Japanese maple that line its perimeter are truly a treasure of autumn. The observational platform features a stone monument containing the words of a poem written for the owner of an inn at Takayu Onsen in 1916 by Mokichi Saito, a poet who loved Mt. Azuma’s natural beauty.
Enjoying an Adult Summer Vacation at a Quiet Mountain Retreat
I then headed back to Takayu Onsen and then to Seishinsansou , the familiar inn we were staying at. This small inn with only four rooms, owned and operated by a married couple, is one of the area’s best kept secrets. The log cabin-style building sits inconspicuously on a lot that used to be part of a golf course and ski resort and makes good use of the natural topography. The inn has captured the hearts of its many repeat guests through homespun hospitality matched to the individual rhythms of each guest, the proprietress’s amazing cooking, and the inn’s lukewarm baths, an oddity in Takayu, known for its relatively hot baths. The inn’s unofficial mascot is a dog named Musashi who would be close to 100 in human years. While his mobility has recently declined to the point where he no long drags himself around to greet guests, he still greeted me and my companion with a quiet gaze.
As the twilight hour approaches, the background music changes to the song of evening cicadas. I do not know whether it’s the smell of soil carried on the wind or the setting sun’s glow on the greenery, but the summer sunsets here invoke a sense of nostalgia for home.
The baths at Seishinsansou are located up a staircase at the end of a long passageway extending from the main building. All of the baths are indoor and separated by gender. Being such a small inn, you can often enjoy the whole bath to yourself (as was the case today!). I took the privilege to open the window facing the inn’s garden, which made it felt like the open air baths of a private residence. The temperature of their source spring water is 44 degrees centigrade, rather lukewarm by Takayu’s standards. In practice, their baths are around 40 degrees centigrade, which is apt to make you take an inadvertently long bath, but the mineral content is as strong as the rest of Takayu. Be careful to avoid taking a bath so long you get dizzy (laughs).
Of course, the inn’s baths are not its only attraction. The dinners made with love by the proprietress, which evoke a sense of both surprise and nostalgia, could be described as creative fusion home-style cooking (laughs). Whether it’s their intricate preserved foods or simple dishes that leverage the natural flavors of the ingredients, their cuisine is endlessly appealing and also quite filling. With all the fun, great food, and nonstop conversation, the evening passed by in what seemed like an instant.
Before heading to bed, I asked the innkeeper’s permission to take a private bath under the moonlight with my spouse (laughs). After the bath, we cooled off in the cool night air of the highlands. I should mention that the guest rooms are not air conditioned. Being so high up, Takayu stays cool all day even during the summer. Make sure not to accidentally leave a window open before going to bed, or you might catch a cold (laughs).
I slept well, having been set free from several sweltering nights in a row, which allowed me to get up early enough to enjoy the sunrise. The white bunches of wild Japanese Clethra that grow around the inn have flowered profusely this year. After devouring one of their delicious breakfasts, which always seem to make me forget my manners (laughs) I went to take one last bath (laughs) before checking out. I must say that you will be hard-pressed to find a place that offers better relaxation and service for just 8,600 yen per person.
By the way, there is a popular public bath called Attakayu down the hill from the inn. It offers two types of open baths, both divided by gender; wooden baths and stone baths. It also offers private baths. The facility is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The baths are great for day bathing or for taking an open air bath after dinner while staying at one of the local inns. The baths are wheelchair accessible and bathing fees are a reasonable 250 yen. I recommend it as part of an excursion as well. (For more details, see their official website.）
Although this year’s oppressively hot summer continues, the signs of autumn have begun to arrive in Takayu some time earlier than in the foothills. Here, even that heat eventually becomes a sentimental memory of the season. Autumn arrives here in full force around mid-October each year. After this year’s intense summer heat, I wonder what sort of stories the red leaves of fall have in store for us. When that season comes, I hope to come here again with vivid memories of summer in my heart.