Vaucluse Dreamer

It would be fair to say that the Maruyama Rice Terraces were stunning, and last night’s park-up, overlooking the paddy-fields was perhaps our favourite of the trip, so far. And we’ve stayed in some incredible places.

We slept, with the sound of the waterwheel, and the baleful cries of the Raccoon Dogs (which we now really rather like), and woke with the light edging its way around the blinds, just after 6am.

It was a chilly start to the day, and we took our coffee out, to sit on the seating area just above the van, to watch the sunlight inch down the mountains, as the sun rose behind us. We sat in our coats, trousers, hats (and snood), watching the local residents who manage and farm this beautiful place, arriving and meeting up for a chat before they started the work of the day.

All of a sudden, one of them (a lady who had been in to clean the toilets), came up to us and beckoned for us to follow her. She led us down to the entrance to the terraces, where they had lit a brazier, piled high with wood to warm themselves, before the sun hit the slopes, and invited us to join them.

It was such a lovely moment, and we chatted (thanks to Google Translate), sharing a warm space and an equally warm moment too. They were surprised to hear that we didn’t have Rice Terraces at home, and were amazed that we were here for 6 weeks, staying in the van each night.

We met the President of their society, and learned that they tend the fields every day, and have a problem with deer & occasionally a bear too. They were just amazed that we had chosen to stay there and that we had found the Terraces. It made us feel like visiting dignitaries.

Thoroughly warmed, in both body and spirit, we wandered back to the van, and they set to work, on what must be a never-ending task of strimming the terraces. It was the perfect start to the day, and just reinforced again, the warm generosity of spirit that we have experienced with the people we have met here.

We watched them at work, but eventually prised ourselves away, although we could have stayed in this idyllic spot for a lot longer. But the days are really starting to slip away quickly now, and we still have places to see, on the way back towards Tokyo.

Driving out, towards the coast, we found ourselves passing through extensive citrus groves, and started to notice little roadside ‘gate-stalls’, piled high with bags of oranges and mandarins for 200 yen (£1) per bag, so we pulled in and bought 2 bags of deliciously sweet and juicy fruits, which didn’t last till the end of the day!

The big job for today was to get some AdBlue for the van, as we had noticed it was starting to get low, and we weren’t sure where to find it, as it’s not readily available from the fuel stations, like it is in Europe.

We stopped at a small garage, and the helpful member of staff apologised that they didn’t have it, but directed us to a larger garage in Kumano, which should be able to help, making sure that we knew where to find it, before we left.

When we arrived, unfortunately they couldn’t help, but directed us again to ‘Mister Tyre Man’, a short distance down the road, pointing us in the right direction, before we left.

Happily Mr Tyre Man could help, and within a few minutes, they had topped up the tank, and when I paid (527 yen – £2.75), they gave us a box of complementary tissues, as a thank you for our business.

By now, it was coffee time, and there was a car park, not too far away, so we drove there and pulled in, for what we imagined would be a short stop.

Over coffee, we spotted a sea turtle just off-shore, in front of us, and we watched as its flipper cleared the water before disappearing. We were also visited by a number of rather beautiful stray cats, who seemed delighted with the ham we offered them, wolfing it down, and coming back for more.

We also looked at where we were, and noticed that on Komoot, there was a walk over and around the cliffs, which looked rather lovely, so we thought we would do that, whilst we were there.

It turned out to be a great decision

The route took us out, along the main road, before turning onto another section of the Kumano Kodo Trail, which would take us over the headland on the Matsumoto-Toge Pass.

The moment we turned off the main road, it felt as if we had slipped into another place, as the ancient stones of the trail started to appear beneath our feet.

At the bottom of the steps to the Pass, there was a basket filled with walking poles, like a lending library for sticks.

For the first time, we took one each, and set off up the steps, through a bamboo forest.

It was just like the parts of the trail that we have walked over recent days. A timeless path of old, moss-covered stones, surrounded by cedar trees, with their ancient roots woven like threads between the cobbles of the path.

It was incredibly beautiful and tranquil, and could easily have been used as a film set for Lord of The Rings.

The flight of steps wound its way upwards, and we welcomed the sticks to help us on the uneven surface.

To the side of the path was a log with a bell on top of it, indicating for walkers to ring the bell to deter bears. We have our bear-bells, but hadn’t expected to need them today, so happily took advantage of the one by the path We rung it loudly, as there were notices that a bear and its cub had been spotted on the path just under 2 weeks ago, so perhaps we did need to make as much noise as we could.

It was a delightful walk over the pass, and we soon started to drop again into Kumano, where we made our way along back-streets towards the path that led around the cliff for our return.

If we imagined that the walk over the Pass was wonderful, it   was soon outdone by this spectacular walk around the cliffs. When I say around the cliffs, that is exactly what it is.

We passed through the Tori Gate

and within a few steps, emerged onto a narrow path and steps, cut into the cliff face, which passed through and around some dramatic rock formations and incredible coastline.

The cliffs are called Oniga-Jo, and are created from a soft volcanic rock, which has been eroded by the sea to create  dramatic and incredibly beautiful cliffs, with the turquoise sea breaking just below the path.

We learned that there is a wonderful legend associated with the cliffs, and it is easy to understand why stories would have been built around it.

The legend is that Tagamaru, a demon pirate king had taken refuge in the cliffs, in the 7th century, and a Shogun was sent to track him down by the Emperor. The Shogun was guided to the coast by a celestial apparition, but when they arrived, they couldn’t get close because of the dangerous rocks and sea.

A young boy then appeared to the Shogun, indicating for him to bring his bow and arrows and then to join him in a dance. This was no normal boy, but an incarnation of the many-armed Goddess of Mercy, ‘Kannon’

Intrigued by the dance, Tagamaru the demon-pirate cracked open the cliff and came out to watch, only to be shot in the eye by the Shogun. The demon then released another 800 demons from the cliffs which were all slain by the Shogun.

A wonderful, colourful story, and very easy to link it with the incredible rock formations on this amazing site, all you need is a little imagination.

The path winds its way around the headland, with steps cut from the rock and narrow ledges that seem to hang out from the cliffs, almost defying gravity, at times.

It isn’t far, and at times my knees did start to wobble with a bit of vertigo, but it was worth pushing my nervousness away to be able to experience this place of legends.

You can Watch a video from the cliffs here

Arriving back at the van, we found the cat-duo waiting for us, and we had to make sure they didn’t join us, before we left. They were divine and it was hard to resist those amber eyes, but we did manage to leave them where they were, with a final slice of ham, as a goodbye gift.

On again, in the afternoon to an onsen, and then another beach-side park-up for the night.

It’s been another amazing day, and we still feel warmed by the lovely encounter with the rice farmers around the brazier, this morning.

Japan is still managing to bowl us over, each and every day.