Amis Droles

We came to Kawazu for KawaZoo, the frog-only zoo, and ended up charmed by the town as well. Nearby, there's a shrine to a sumo wrestler said to have trained with a 700-lb stone that's still there. The short walk to it has lovely views of the Kawazu River and mountains. If you're up for lots of stairs, the one-hour Nanadaru waterfalls hike is worth it for the spray from the falls and the rare columnar rock formations. Our ryokan host gave us a cute local map and lots of useful brochures, including one listing restaurants. There's also a distinctive coil-shaped highway feature named after the waterfalls. The hotel and town were more remote than I expected, and it gets DARK at night. We hadn't researched enough, and in hindsight should have rented a car. We also hadn't planned enough food because we didn't read the maps closely. The manager kindly drove us to a nearby conbini so we could get more supplies. That was far beyond the service I'm used to, and I'm so grateful. He was kind and keen to help, and my basic Japanese was enough to communicate. Even my friend who doesn't speak Japanese could follow his explanation of the amenities. The rooms were clean, tidy, and very spacious by Japanese hotel standards, with everything we needed. We booked a private hot springs room and loved the luxurious feel of the secluded, open-air onsen, with its natural stone look. The onsen pool was just the right temperature, and it was nice to share an onsen-like experience with my mixed-sex group of shy American friends. The pool was lovely too, with fun lighting at night and a comfortable temperature in the morning and evening. We spotted birds, colorful beetles, and butterflies from the pool, and my friends saw a gecko warming itself near the private onsen. We didn't want to leave and wished we'd stayed longer. I'd love to come back on my next trip to Japan, enjoy the onsen pool again, and explore more of Kawazu. :)