Takachiho and Jikoku Onsen
Tuesday 27th September 2011
Picked up a hire car in Kagoshima in the morning and spent the day driving around Kyushu, taking in the waterfalls at Takachiho en route, and ending the day at the Jikoku (hell!) onsen.
Japan September 2011
John's Pictures

07:55:47
View from our hotel room in the morning of Sakurajima.

10:29:01
Our hire car.

10:29:10
Some canned coffee.

13:07:40
Satsuma imo (sweet potato) tempura, which I ate for lunch. In the car.

13:19:01
One of the bridges near Takachiho.

13:24:36

13:25:54

13:26:19

13:27:02
First of the waterfalls at Takachiho.

13:28:30

13:28:49

13:29:55
Famous spot where you can see several bridges on top of each other.

13:31:35

13:33:36

13:35:08

13:36:02
The main waterfall at Takachiho.

13:36:27

13:37:11

13:37:35

13:38:21

13:39:25

13:40:25

13:41:30
Closer to the main waterfall.

13:42:13

13:44:59

13:45:31

13:48:35
It's a popular spot.

13:51:38
Is this cress?

13:53:15

13:56:00

14:00:29

14:47:33
A viewpoint looking out over the Aso crater that we stopped off at en route.

14:47:58

14:48:42

14:59:06
We were on that road up there earlier on.

15:05:47
A roadside stall selling tomatoes.

15:06:46
A big spider.

15:07:13
The entrance to a strange sort of art museum thing in a tunnel.

15:07:37

15:08:48

15:14:12
Apparently this had originally been dug for use by the railway, but part of the way along they hit an underground river, and abandoned it.

15:15:53
...so instead it now is home to a strange sort of underground museum...

15:16:32
The current exhibition are floats (if that is the right word?) from a summer festival.

15:17:38
They were all made by local people, some by schools and some by council workers.

15:19:19
....including one exhibit made by accountants.

15:19:38

15:23:05

15:24:50
At the end of the tunnel was this optical illusion involving a strobe light.

15:29:21

15:29:44

16:07:24
Next stop, the "fountainhead" of the Shirakawa river. It just bubbles up out of the ground here, quite impressive to behold.

16:09:50

17:00:47
Entrance to the jikoku onsen ryokan where we'd be staying tonight.

17:12:14
Our room in the ryokan.

17:12:29

17:21:30
Chie's parent's room in the ryokan.

17:30:03
They put the name (and city) of each of the guests out on a board in traditional ryokan.

17:34:27

17:34:40

17:35:05
A wander around the onsen complex.

17:39:31
An old fashioned post box.

17:42:03
The first bath of our stay - this is a little private indoor bath.

18:26:13
Chie and her parents in their yukata, on the way to dinner.

18:27:40
Dinner was a sort of barbecue affair.

18:31:11
The not very exciting vegetarian offering.

18:33:17

18:52:49