Bicycle: 59 km
Total ascent: 1197 m
Average speed: 13,6 km/h
Riding Time: 4:22 h
Weather: surprisingly cold and in the first half of the day some light rain, 14 C
Back on the move after 4 nights in Southern parts of Aso now onwards to Kurokawa onsen, where I stayed a few years ago in a previous trip to Kyushu and enjoyed soaking in different onsen.
My route today brought me through some very unique landscape, kind of more what I would expect in Hokkaido rather than Kyushu: Rolling green hills.
Until I came to Yamanami “Highway” the roads had barely any traffic but were good roads. Probably needed for agriculture or they were built when there were more people in this area, but now there is hardly any traffic at all.
Right when it started to rain I found this school bus stop where I took a rest, ate and onigiri and by the time I had finished the rain had stopped and I continued.
Rain did restart a bit later, still quite light but for mid May it was surprisingly cold. At the point where Milk Road (probably named after all the dairy farms) joins Yamanami highway (called so probably for the wave-like rolling hills) there was a farm which offered horse riding but also had a restaurant. And warmth! And protection from the drizzle.
Per the weather forecast it should have become more rainy as the day went on, but rather after lunch the rain had stopped and occasionally there were even a few sun rays piercing through the clouds. However I had decided to head directly to Kurokawa onsen to have more time to soak (knowing that the one onsen I wanted to visit closed at 15:00) rather than riding more and potentially getting soaked by rain instead of hot sulfuric water.
Someone build this garden with hundreds of trees carefully carved into shapes. Mostly birds, but also some other forms.
Through more rolling hills to the bottom of Kujo mountain and then downhill to Kurokawa onsen and right into the bliss of Yama-Mizu-Ki onsen.
They did change the layout a bit since last time o was here but the rotenburo is still very much in the middle of nature. Today even with wild wisteria blooming in the forest across the small stream. When I arrived I was the only person, so took the opportunity for a picture.
I was there probably around 13:30 and left shortly before 15:00 (when they close for day guests) soaking blissfully in the warm water on a coldish day. And then on to my ryokan in town, which obviously also has an onsen, where when I passed no one was using so I took a picture of that one as well.
After checkin a quick stroll through the village …
… and then some relaxation time and more onsen before an early dinner.
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