This week, we continue on our journey of discovering superb views in early summer. Our next stop is Shingu in Wakayama Prefecture, where we will take a boat ride down the Kumano River. Take a train to Shingu Station first, and then travel for 30 minutes by bus to Kumano River. The river is registered as a World Heritage site. During your river boat ride, look out for the Aoi (mallow) waterfall, named after the family crest of the Tokugawa clan. After the scenic boat ride along the river, drop by a restaurant near the pier which offers traditional Kumano dishes. The recommended dishes include saury Narezushi and Mehari-sushi. Locally-caught saury are salted and marinated with rice for up to a month for the Narezushi. Another local speciality is Takana Meharizushi, which features rice wrapped in a leafy vegetable (Takana).
You can stay the night at an inn called Iruka Hot Spa, Seiry-so. It is located at the border to Wakayama and is surrounded by a river and green mountains. The inn provides a special pick-up service and the bus will take you from the restaurant near the pier to the hotel. The hotel rooms feature a nice view of the Kitayama River, which is a branch of Kumano River. One scenic spot near the inn is terraced rice fields called Maruyama Senmai-da. Boasting 1,340 rice fields, it is said to be the biggest terraced rice field site in Japan. It is 10 minutes away from the inn, and hotel staff will drive you there. The rice fields are situated on slopes 100m high. The sight of this original and natural Japanese landscape is truly breathtaking.
Return to the inn and treat yourself to the hot spring. Later, enjoy a meal comprising pheasant dishes - a speciality of Kiwa town. Start with grilled pheasant on skewers, followed by stewed vegetables and meat accompanied by thickened sweet soy sauce. Another dish is a rice pot consisting of burdock, carrots, deep fried tofu and meat.
The next morning, after a hot breakfast, head back to Wakayama from Mie. Along the way, go to the spa town of Yunomine Onsen. Discovered 1,800 years ago, it is believed to be the oldest spa in Japan. People used to purify themselves in the Tsubo spa here before visiting a shrine in the area. The hot spring is also registered as a World Heritage site and changes colour seven times a day. For a delicious snack, buy some raw eggs and sweet potatoes and cook them in a hot water tub (yuzutsu) for about 12 minutes. What a unique way to end your trip!
Our next trip in early summer takes us to Tango Peninsula in Kyoto. Begin by taking the express train from Kyoto Station. After about two hours, you will reach Amano-Hashidate Station. Amano-Hashidate is famous for having one of Japan’s three most scenic views. Take an eight-minute monorail ride to the observation deck. Amano-Hashidate has a strange landscape featuring a 3.2km long sand bar covered with 8,000 pine trees. From the lookout point, this picturesque scene resembles a dragon. It is truly a remarkable sight created by nature. Interestingly, the place is aptly called Amano-Hashidate (Bridge to Heaven), because when you look at the scenery upside down, between your legs; the view resembles a bridge to heaven!
After this, take a leisurely stroll through the pine grove and white sandy beach of Amano-Hashidate. There is a restaurant here which serves a local speciality, short-neck clams. These clams are best eaten during summer. You can try the short-neck clam set lunch, featuring clam with rice, clam with udon noodles and clam soup. Next, take a one-hour bus ride to Ine in Tango Peninsula. Located by the Japan Sea, Ine is small port town famous for its boathouses along the bay. There are about 230 boathouses on the surface of the sea along the 5 km circumference of the bay. These boathouses consist of a storehouse for boats and a main house, which serves as residential quarters. Thus, the ground floor is used as a landing and working place, while the second floor is the residence. In the old days, boats were the only form of transportation; residents used to go shopping or even visit relatives via boat. These boathouses are now utilised in various ways. For example, some residents farm abalone, due to easy access to the sea. To have a look at these boathouses from the sea, take a tour by sea taxi. Go to an excellent viewing point - a fishing raft where people can fish or just sit and relax.
Stay the night at the Abura-ya inn, which is a 10-minute drive from Ineura. Staff from the inn can come and pick you up. Located on top of a hill, the inn is well known for its superb view of the Japan Sea. Also known for its warm hospitality, the inn aims to pamper its guests throughout their stay. So, guests are offered green tea, Japanese sweets and rice cakes upon their arrival. The inn’s motto is to ensure its guests are totally relaxed, so its refined and elegant furnishings are decorated with a Japanese theme in mind. The rooms are spacious, neat and beautiful, and even have a fireplace. You can admire the superb view through the big glass windows in the rooms. In addition, each room also has a scenic open-air bath. What more could one ask for?
After relaxing in your room, pamper your body in the inn's famous hot spring bath. For dinner, enjoy a feast of dishes featuring seafood from the Japan Sea. The inn prides itself on using only the freshest seafood. The chef, who has been trained in a Japanese restaurant in Kyoto, buys his ingredients everyday from the Ine port. The seafood is carefully chosen and skilfully prepared. The Kaiseki course dinner consists of several colourful seasonal dishes, such as sashimi, rice cake stuffed with sea bream and wrapped in a cherry leaf, and Kansai's famous Harihari hot pot of sea bream. Grilled sea bream heads are put in a hot pot to make the broth, and sea bream meat is lightly boiled in the well-flavoured broth. You can eat the sea bream heads too. Other dishes include tempura made from locally-caught conger and wild vegetables; grilled Spanish mackerel which has been flavoured with yuzu; and delicious bamboo shoot rice.
