Naruko Onsen

We left Hiraizumi in a large coach and stopped at a typical Japanese roadside supermarket which sold local produce amongst many other items, and at which there was an audience for a live monkey show which wouldn't be allowed in many other countries.
We stopped at Naruko Onsen and went to Katanuma Crater Lake where there was the smell of sulphur emanating from small fissures. My trousers split as I bent down to test the warmth of the water in a stream. We walked around the lake and had lunch at a cafe.
Then we went to a Kokeshi Dolls museum and workshop, one of many in this area, where we painted and kept our own doll after it had been machine-polished. I said that the design on mine was pre-Columbian from South America.
We walked down the steps in the Naruko Gorge to see the lovely autumn colours. Being a Sunday, there were lots of Japanese there as well but noticeable few non-Japanese tourists who tended not to venture north of Tokyo.
We went on a short walk along duckboards to to see steam and hot water exiting from volcanic vents. There were sieves for boiling eggs in the hot water.
Finally, as the light was fading, we walked across the Naruko Dam. The scenery could have been in Scotland.
There was an outdoor onsen at the Kameya Hotel, and dinner was another set Japanese mealRead more