When I was planning for my first autumn trip in Japan in 2018, I was so excited that I didn’t know where to start. Should I head up to Hokkaido to get first dibs on autumn at the scenic Daisetsuzan National Park in early September, or should I head down to see the famous fall foliage backdrops in Kyoto some time in late November and early December?
Fellow autumn-newbies, I’ve done the hard work of research and planning, so let me take you through my decision-making process and my journey to Naruko Gorge—one of Tohoku’s top autumn foliage spots in Miyagi Prefecture.
Why Naruko Gorge?
I knew that I wanted to base myself in Tokyo, and I also wanted to avoid the December holiday crowd. This narrowed down my travelling dates to roughly from the end of October and early November.
And that was how I picked Tohoku—Japan’s northeastern region—since this period coincided with this region’s best autumn colours.
There are plenty of brilliant spots to view Tohoku’s autumn leaves in its full glory during this period, such as Mount Hakkoda and Oirase Stream in Aomori Prefecture, or Bandai-Azuma in Fukushima Prefecture.
But I had two requirements: it should be easily accessible by public transport (shoutout to JR East Pass) within 4 hours from Tokyo, and also a nearby city centre where I can stay the night at. Luckily, there was a perfect place for my picky itinerary, and that was Naruko Gorge (鳴子峡 Naruko-kyō).
Expectations…
Naruko Gorge is easily one of the top autumn spots for one to enjoy viewing autumn leaves in Tohoku, and it’s surrounded with plenty of natural hot springs in the Naruko Onsen Village. The gorge is located in the mountainous region of Osaki City (大崎市) in Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県), slightly further up north from Sendai City (仙台市).
I researched and found out that the best time to visit Naruko Gorge while being able to catch the seasonal Resort Minori Joyful Train was on the last weekend of October 2018.
So began my planning, and this was what my to-do list looked like:
-
- Check for the best train routes from Tokyo to Naruko Gorge and back to nearest city centre Sendai
- Check for the “Momiji-gō” shuttle bus schedule (only available in autumn)
- Check the timing of the famous JR Rikū/Resort Minori train for that iconic train-peeking-through-trees photo opportunity
- Check the weather forecast app
- Pack my trekking shoes
- Visit the Naruko Kokeshi Museum
- Visit a hot spring facility in the onsen village
- Book a one-night stay at Sendai to rest for the night
I thought I had it all figured out; nothing was going to stop me from having the best autumn adventure. Unfortunately…
… vs. Reality
…no weather app in the world could predict the weather 100%. Halfway through my journey, it started to pour throughout the region and I realised half of my planned itinerary could not come to fruition. I also regretted not packing extra layers of clothing, as it became much colder than expected when the sun was not around.
But I didn’t let that dampen my spirits; you can’t change the weather, but you can bring along an umbrella and carry on with the trip—so that was what I did.
Let the autumn-venture begin
As mentioned earlier, I was heading to my destination from Tokyo. My personal tip to anyone who’s intending to travel between cities is to always stay nearby a JR station. That way, you can save on commuting time and wake up slightly later. I’m not usually a morning person, but oh, the things I would do for Naruko…
The Resort Minori departed at 10:14am sharp and that was when it hit me: I was finally going to see Naruko Gorge! Even though the train ride comprised mostly of me looking out the wide windows at the gloomy sky and praying to the Sky Gods for it to stop raining, I was constantly admiring Miyagi’s countryside as the train traversed through rice fields after rice fields.
Arriving at Naruko-Onsen Station
At 11am, I arrived at Naruko-Onsen Station (鳴子温泉駅) and was warmly welcomed by a group of old folks holding up a banner that read, “ようこそ鳴子温泉駅へ / Welcome to Naruko-Onsen Station”. While I would have loved to take photos with the cute obāchan and ojīchan, I had a bus to catch at 11:10am to get to Naruko Gorge Viewpoint.
The “Momiji-gō” (momiji means autumn foliage in Japanese) shuttle bus only operates during autumn between Naruko-Onsen Station and Nakayamadaira-Onsen Station at intervals of 60–100 minutes. Trekking to the viewpoint is a viable option—the trek up to the viewpoint is around an hour from Naruko-Onsen Station—but I wasn’t going to take the risk of getting lost or slipping in this rainy weather.
The bus ride up to the viewpoint took less than 10 minutes and around ¥220 (as of 2018). At 11:17am, I alighted at the bus stop called Narukokyo Narukoguchi (鳴子峡鳴子口) and boy, was I awestruck! I was merely a few steps away from the viewpoint.
Naruko Gorge Viewpoint: Autumn goodness
Upon arriving, I was welcomed by the crisp autumn air that one might only experience outside of city areas and the amazing autumn hues. What first caught my attention wasn’t the viewpoint’s rest house (鳴子峡レストハウス), but rather, the dozens of people with their cameras, tripods, and huge lenses huddling at Ofukazawa Bridge (大深沢橋).
A trainspotter’s paradise
It turns out that these were avid trainspotters who were eagerly waiting for the Riku-East Line train to peek out through the tunnel that cuts through the valley of Naruko Gorge. This photo opportunity comes about 15 times a day when the train traverses between Naruko Onsen Station and Nakayamadaira-Onsen Station, and there’s even a schedule that’s put up around the area to let you know about this in advance.
While I was lucky enough to catch the Resort Minori train heading towards Nakayamadaira-Onsen Station at around 11:28am, unfortunately I came with no proper photography gear to capture this great photo-op. Otherwise, it should look something like this:
The train is intentionally slowed down at such times, so get your cameras ready and snap as many photos as you’d like.
Naruko Gorge New Observation Deck
After the train had fully left our sight, I noticed that most of the trainspotters had quickly packed their gears and were headed for the rest house. To avoid joining another crowd, I made my way to a nearby observation deck called Naruko Gorge New Observation Deck (鳴子峡新展望台 Narukokyō-shintenbō-dai) at the other side of Ofukazawa Bridge.
The observation deck was quite literally gorged by the autumn trees of Naruko Gorge. A clear view of the Oya River (大谷川) that slithers through the rocky terrains of Naruko can be seen from the platform. I felt so close to nature that I didn’t want to leave. But the cold and wet weather persuaded me to head back to the rest house for warmth and food.
Naruko Gorge Rest House
For lunch, I made my way back to the rest house to get my hands on local seasonal delicacies. Even from a distance, I could already spot a queue lined up for food right at the entrance of the rest house.
While the shop sold a decent variety of light meals and snacks like tamakon (玉こん konjac ball) and agemanju (揚げまんじゅう fried manju), their bestseller was the kinokoshiru (きのこ汁 miso soup with mushrooms). It was easily one of the best soups I’ve ever had! There’s something especially comforting about a nice, warm bowl of kinoko shiru on a cold, wet day.
Since it was lunchtime, the rest house’s indoor seating area was very packed so I chose a seat at the outdoor seating area instead and it was a dining experience with a gorgeous (pun-intended) view.
Initially, I had planned to visit one of the hot spring facilities nearby Nakayamadaira-Onsen Station or even the Kokeshi Museum before calling it a day. But since it was still raining, I decided to stick around at the rest house a little longer and browsed through the souvenir shop that was well-stocked with local produce, snacks, and even kokeshi dolls.
Exploring yet another trail
When the drizzling gradually became lighter, I ventured on to another trail near the viewpoint and rest house. Although the ground was wet due to the rain, the walking paths were wide enough and the steps weren’t steep. Once again, I was taken aback by nature’s beauty in all colours imaginable on the autumnal spectrum.
I remember just stopping to admire every stream and every fallen momiji. I was, in short, shookt.
Ofukazawa Promenade
The last place I checked out before making my move was (yet again) another walking route, called Ofukazawa Promenade (大深沢遊歩道 Ōfukazawa-yūhodō) and my only regret in this trip was not exploring this route sooner. The path here was a lot wider and quieter than the previous treks I took, and it featured a breathtaking view of another side of the Ofukazawa Bridge that’s not facing the rest house.
Just 10 minutes into my stroll, it started to rain once again. Afraid of getting stranded and missing my bus back to the train station, I hurriedly made my way back to the bus stop. Ofukazawa Promenade has two entrances, and one of them is located near the Naruko Gorge New Observation Deck.
Resort Minori: The Autumn Joyful Train
I managed to take the bus back to Naruko Onsen Station where I waited for the 4pm Resort Minori Joyful Train. Just when I thought my autumn trip was over, the Resort Minori brought autumn back to me. Lacquered in deep red and black, the train’s exterior stands out regardless of the season and is reminiscent of the region’s autumnal colours.
The word Minori (実り) actually means “harvest”, a term that is closely associated with autumn. So when locals say “実りある” (minori aru), it means that the harvest is bountiful, fulfilling, and fruitful. Similarly, the Resort Minori aims to bring you through a fulfilling visit through the region along the Riku-East Line, whether you are here to see the abundance of autumn trees or a fulfilling hot spring visit to recharge your body.
Despite the long journey it was to get to and out of Naruko Gorge, I definitely felt recharged by just riding on the Resort Minori. As you can see in the photos above, the interior and seats exude warm hues of red and orange with motifs of momiji, making the feeling of autumn very present in the three-car train. My favourite part about the train was how spacious the legroom was, which could properly fit a medium-sized suitcase. I would also recommend getting window seats, as the wide windows provide excellent views of the scenery along the tracks.
If the legroom isn’t enough and you wish to stretch your legs, you can even head over to the observation space or event venue. The observation spaces can be found at both the front and back of the Resort Minori, where passengers can get a full frontal (and back) view of the countryside.
The event venue in the middle car features a cute mini Resort Minori that doubles up as a sofa (for kids) as well as reading materials providing sightseeing information about the surrounding area. Depending on the time of your visit, you can also catch a variety of local programmes that highlights the beauty of the region along the Riku-East Line.
But of course if you prefer to just rest until you reach Sendai Station, the reclining seats and spacious legroom on the Resort Minori should just do the trick.
Unfortunately, the Resort Minori has been discontinued as of August 2020.
Conclusion
Did I regret not spending longer time at Naruko Gorge? Yes. But did I regret choosing it as my first ever autumn destination in Japan? Absolutely not. If I was given the chance, I would love to revisit and allocate time to do more sightseeing around this beautiful region. Even if you’ve visited Japan in autumn several times before, I highly reckon that Naruko Gorge would easily top your list of autumn destinations in Japan.
