Arrived in Ichinoseki and quickly found the Ofunato line. Turned out to be super sweet two car diesel train running on a single track line. Conductor was happy to let us stand right at the front, Benna discovered the joy of looking out the front with me, while Aleeza discovered the joy of reading her Manga magazine.
Arrived at Geibikei which is a tiny town, and found the road to the gorge well marked. It was a five minute walk and not hard to find at all. Salted fish grilling over hot stones greeted us on a very hot day, but we skipped straight to the boat ride. It was a nice ride up the river, but the main attraction for the girls was feeding the fish! Beautiful steep cliff walls and a chatty boat driver for about half an hour until we arrived at the head of the calm section of the stream, then we docked so we followed the rest of the crowd on a nice walk to a sandy beach where we could throw stones at a hole in the cliff. We returned to our boat and drifted back down the stream, feeding more fish, and eventually we were treated to a lovely song by the boatman.
On arrival at the start point we had some snacks, then walked back to town and bought snacks for the train ride home. We took that early train and had some time to kill in Ichinoseki. Jana and Aleeza went into town and found a new backpack while Benna and I watched the Express Shinkansen zoom by. Eventually we caught the Tohoku line for Kanegasaki.
As we approached, the landscape was very rural. Many farmers were burning their rice chaff, so the air was very smoky. There were mountains on both sides, and a large river meandered across the valley floor. Kanegasaki station was very modern but pretty deserted as it is a national holiday.
We arrived an hour earlier than planned, so we decided to try walking to the hotel. We found a map, on which our hotel was labeled the Midori no Sato Hotel and Resort.・Hmmmmm・We figured out the map, we thought, but had no idea of the scale. Then we went outside and there was another map, but the directions seemed reversed. Once again, the Japanese habit of laying out a map with South on top (Actually in this instance, East and West were reversed!)
Whatever, we re-plotted, and I asked a local for directions, she said "Mmmm-very far!" She recommended a taxi, but we walked anyway. A bit later we were in town, and I asked a shopkeeper. He dutifully drew us a new map, and explained himself in broken English, but when I asked him the distance he hedged and estimated maybe half an hour. We continued about five minutes until we made a turn and saw an expanse of road before us. Uh Oh! Luckily, Benna was already whining and she started pointing to every taxi we saw. She pointed to several parked taxis, which we at first dismissed, but then we realized that we were passing the dispatch station of a taxi company so Jana went in and sure enough a driver jumped out and gladly he drove us the remaining distance, which turned out to be about five miles!
We arrived at Midori no Sato. A few days ago we stayed at the five star hotel in Matsushima and I commented that it would be hard to top that experience. Well, Midori no Sato may be able to top it! This place has a beautiful natural spring that includes an outdoor pool, and a full service spa. The dinner in the dining room was unbelievable, and this time they made a special vegetarian meal for Aleeza.
The hot-spring was amazing. There was an outdoor pool with a garden and mini-waterfall. We could not bring ourselves to indulge in massages, but the meal was so fine it made up for it. Jana enjoyed the local Sake, while I had one last beer-fest with our hosts.
Great memories!
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