Vaucluse Dreamer

After arriving at the parking spot last night, with Mount Fuji clearly visible in the early evening light, we had great hopes of seeing it at sunrise.

But, when we woke, the clouds had rolled in and it had disappeared, which was a shame. But we knew to expect it, so weren’t too disappointed.

Sadly, the time had come for us to leave the Izu Peninsula, although we could easily have spent a lot more time there (and certainly will do, if we return). So after a little walk out along the sea-wall, we hopped in the van and headed off.

The road took us along the coast at first, passing little fishing villages, before we turned off and headed towards, what appeared to be an impenetrable wall of hills.

Then we started to climb, not a gentle slow climb, but quickly, with steep hairpin bends and at times, vertical drops just the other side of the barrier.

The road snaked upwards for kilometres, and just when we felt it would never end, we started to drop just as quickly back to the coast. It was a dramatic drive, but ended on a large sweeping bay, with beautiful views back across to where we knew Mount Fuji was hiding behind the clouds. On a clear day, it must be spectacular.

This area was also filled with orange groves, and little roadside stalls had been set up outside some of the houses. Unfortunately the van was too large for us to be able to pull in at any of the stops, as we would have loved to have been able to try some of the fruit.

After writing yesterday that we had decided to take things slowly, that went out of the window, when we started to look at the route for today. We love the peace and tranquility of the countryside, and to get to where we wanted to be, would involve having to drive along the south coast, for quite a distance, on expressways, through built up areas.

So we plotted a route and set off towards Honshu, planning to spend a few days exploring the area and some of the post towns too. It was everything we don’t like, busy roads and lots of tunnels, so at the first opportunity, we turned off onto a smaller (but still main) road, and headed for the hills.

The views on the way up were beautiful (in between the tunnels), and we spent the drive marvelling at the scenery and also at the incredible engineering that had gone into constructing the road through the mountains.

The only thing we had to do was to find an Onsen, and after stopping at a Roadside Station, where we managed to dispose of our rubbish, which is a constant battle, as there are so few bins, we headed off to a small one in a nearby town. The information said that it was cooler water (about 34-36 degrees) which sounded rather lovely after a sticky day in the van.

When we arrived, the man at the desk warned us that it was very cold, not like other onsens, and kept reiterating it, as if he was worried that we would be expecting something different. We had to reassure him that we were happy that it was cooler, and eventually he allowed us to pay. Although I think he still thought we hadn’t understood.

As it was, it proved to be the perfect temperature, and we left feeling clean and cool, which was rather nice. By then, we’d had enough of driving for the day, so searched for a suitable place to stop for the night, finding a parking spot at a carpark, just by the Ojiragawa Canyon, which looked rather beautiful.

It proved to be a good choice, as we arrived to an almost empty car park, and after parking up, went to explore the trail.

We wandered out along the path that led towards the river, first coming to a shrine, nestled in the woodland. It was the most tranquil and beautiful spot amongst the trees, with moss covering the little statues and a most perfect sense of peace. It was easy to understand why it had been built there, and it was a truly spiritual spot.

From there we wandered on, taking a path that went across a rather bouncy suspension bridge. Below, the clear water babbled over the pale rocks in a series of little falls..

And as we walked on up the riverbank, the sound of rushing water got louder and we found ourselves by an emerald-green pool, being filled by a lovely waterfall. The colour of the pool was quite astounding, especially as the water is so incredibly clear. In fact, I’m almost tempted to take a dip in it tomorrow.

By the time we had explored that little part of the canyon, the light was beginning to dim, so we made our way back along the peaceful path, with just the sound of the water and the occasional howl of a raccoon dog for company. I’m so pleased we know what the blood-curdling sound is now, as being in the woods hearing it would be a bit disturbing!

You can see a little video from where we are tonight Here

So another day that has ended in yet another beautiful part of Japan. It’s already feeling very different to the Izu Peninsula, and is certainly cooler, but that is only to be expected in the mountains.

Tomorrow morning, we may take one of the longer hikes from here and see where we end up.

I’m sure it will be very lovely.