Ichiyama to Arifuku
August 14, 2004
| I start walking through Ichiyama
just as dawn is breaking. I have a slight hangover. Last night was
Bon odori, the community dance held to end the festival of the dead.
Every community has a Bonodori dance, but only a few have free beer.
Mine (Tanijyugo) is one of the communities that does, hence the
hangover. I like Ichiyama, though Im not sure why. At this time
in the morning there are a few people up and about. At the end of
the village I take the old road that climbs up the hills to the
south of the valley. On the other side of the hills is a main road
that follows the Yato river, but it has some serious goosenecks,
as well as the likliehood of traffic, so I take the shorter, less
travelled route. I am heading for Arifuku, a small Onsen ( Hot spring
spa) town directly west of here, a few kilometres inland from the
sea. I have never been there, but one of my ex- students familiy
owns a spa hotel there, so I am taking them up on their offer to
try their baths. The road winds its way up and along the mountain.
Below the sun is burning away the mist. It promises to be another
fine day. |
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| After a couple of kilometres
the road tops out, and in an area cleared of trees I am able to
look back down where Ive come from.The sight I see is wonderful,
and already the trip has been worth it. It looks like an architypel
Japanese or Chinese painting, layer upon layer of mountains with
mist filling the valleys. The highest mountain to the left is Ichiyama
itself. A long time ago there was a fort on the mountaintop overlooking
the Yato valley below. From here the road drop quickly into the
Nagatani valley. |
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| There is a main road running
up the valley. Right here it even has 2 lanes. The secene is typical
for this area,... farmhouses clinging to the steep hillsides, terraced
rice paddies,... the rice is ripening so the paddies are turning
from brilliant green to gold. I am surprised to see a couple of
small waterfalls. Driving through here I had never heard them becuase
of the engines noise. The road narrows to one lane and passes through
the village center. post office, gas station, small store, comminity
center that used to be a school. Here I take a side road that climbs
up out of the valley. As usual, the road follows a watercourse.
The narrow road is well shaded by the forest, and the constant gurgling
of water makes for pleasant walking. I investigate a track that
runs into the forest and find a small run down Shrine. No torii
marks its entrance, its just a wooden shack with an altar inside.
Other than one small dip, Ive been climbing steadily for more than
2 hours, but soon the road tops out. From here I follow the water
all the way downhill to Arifuku. |
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In front of an abanded farmhouse there
is a small, rusting bus stop. The timetable says there are 3 buses
a day each way. Even remote settlements are accessible by public
transport, so you can get just about anywhere..... eventually.
Reaching the junction of 2 watercourses, a road heads up to the
left. My map says it leads to a trail that would take me back
to Ichiyama, though as yet I have not been able to find anyone
who knows if the trail still exists. There are no road signs,
and why should there be? The local people know where the roads
go to. Going ever down, the steep valley widens a little to make
space for paddies and farms. I pass another couple of waterfalls
and try in vain to snap some photos of herons in flight. Against
the cliff by the side of the road I find a roadside spring with
dipper and bench. The water is sweet and cool. I pass through
the last village before Arifuku. Its large enough to support a
barbers and a beauty salon as well as a gas station and the obligatory
Japan Agriculture co-operative buildings. The main road from Gotsu
comes in here, so the last 2 kilometres has more traffic. Maybe
one vehicle every 5 minutes.
Arifuku itself is very small,.. not really a town, with the numerous
houses and hotels almost stacked on top of each other to utilize
every inch of buidable space in a very narrow and steep valley.
A maze of stone staircase lead off the one road. Its fairly typical
of hundreds ( maybe thousands) of other Onsen towns,... as well
as the hotels there are numerous drinking establishments, and
the same kind of souvenir shops selling crafts, usually made in
Taiwan, and various types of "local specialties" more
often than not made from squid, and confectionaries. The difference
between the local crafts and snacks, and those of a thousand other
resorts, is not apparent to me, and I seriously doubt whether
a japanese could tell the difference either. I find the hotel
Im looking for, and the maid immediately offers me a towel and
points me downstairs to the public bath. The owner comes out and
takes me down personally and insists I relax and take my time.
I enjoy a good soak, but I dont think I will ever understand the
Japanese obsession with Hot Springs. There are more than 3,000
of them scattered over Japan, and visiting an Onsen is the most
popular vacation and leisure activity. My own theory is that soaking
in a bath is just about the only time in Japan when you are "allowed"
to be doing nothing.
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