LEBEN IN JAPAN: Iruka Onsen Seiryuso

Japan a country to travel, it has 10 climate zones I guess and it is so different from North to South, every time I travel I cannot believe how beautiful Japan is. I just love it.

We, my husband and myself are visiting the Kii Peninsula of Japan, the Prefectures of Mie, Nara and Wakayama. It’s May in Japan and on fifth of May is children day. Koinobori are windsocks flown during this time, it is to celebrate children and boys. The Koinobori usually starts with a black one representing the father, followed by a smaller. one, a red one representing the eldest son. If more boys were in the household an additional blue, green and then depending on the region either purple or orange koinobori were added. The government of Japan changed the Boy day to childrens day Kodomo no hi, so both sexes were celebrated. So, the red one or sometimes pink one is representing the mother. Many koinomia hang from ropes strung on posts at On Shichiri Mihama Beach in Mie. It is a beautiful site. On the day we arrived we just past by with the car but came back two days later to fly my drone. It started raining soon as you can see here.

Video:

My husband chooses his hotels according to the most famous and affordable Onsen close to our sightseeing spot and this time we landed at Iruka Onsen Seiryuso at the river Inouzawa. A very remote location and I believe only reachable by car or bus. Our room is huge for Japanese conditions. The room comes with no bathroom but a restroom and a bathroom sink. We book a Japanese breakfast and stayed for three nights. This hotel cost per night around 25,000 ¥ without breakfast. After our arrival we visit the onsen, which has also an outdoor onsen or Rotenburo, it is separated by gender.

The next day we went to the Nachi Falls, which is Japan’s tallest waterfall in a sacred forest. The fall drops 133 m

Long before religion formed, locals worshipped the waterfall as a divine spirit. Later a shrine was built here, and the Shinto priests serve the deity daily.

A few m or a 30 min hike above the waterfall is the Hiro Shrine. The Seigantoji Temple a Tendai Buddhist Temple and coexists with the Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine peacefully in Wakayama Prefecture. There are many pilgrimage paths, The Kumano Kodō is a series of ancient pilgrimage routes of the Kii Peninsula. These mountainous trails are used by pilgrims to the "Kumano Sanzan”. The Three Grand Shrines of Kumano: Kumano Hongū Taisha , Kumano Nachi Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha. These three shrines are the holiest sites of the ancient combined Kumano religion.

As you can see, the weather was not the best, it’s beginning of May and before rainy season. A good time to visit, very pleasant and it was not cold at all, even during the rain. Wakayama has very steep mountains and landslides are a danger in this region, so I would recommend not to go during rainy season.

In my next video, I will show you where these beautiful rice fields are. I see you then!

Links:

Seiganto-ji: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiganto-ji

Kumano Nachi Taisha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumano_Nachi_Taisha

Hiro Hachiman Shrine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiro_Hachiman_Shrine

Kumano Kodo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumano_Kod%C5%8D

(Hotel) Iruka Onsen Seiryuso: https://seiryusou.com/

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