sights uncovered
Travel with Tessa

Tenkawa

Tenkawa is a hidden treasure. I stumbled across it while searching for a traditional onsen experience. Onsens are therapeutic Japanese hot springs where steaming water bubbles up from the ground.
Reaching Tenkawa is somewhat of a challenge. It can be reached from Kyoto and Osaka via the Kintetsu line to Shimoichiguchi Station. From Shimoichiguchi Station, it’s best to take a taxi to the village or a bus, which is cheaper but takes longer. From Kyoto and Osaka, one has to change trains at Kashihara jingu-mae. From Nara, there are two changes.

The train journey is exhilarating. After passing through the countryside populated by houses with peaked, charcoal-colored tiled roofs and small family-owned rice paddies, the train climbs into dense, magnificent forests.

Outside the tiny Shimoichiguchi Station, we hailed a taxi for the fifty-minute ride to Tenkawa. As we climbed higher into the mountains, we were mesmerized by our surroundings: miniature villages, emerald green trees glistening with raindrops, ferns carpeting the forest floor. Nature untouched by the human hand. Japanese revere and cherish nature.

A Ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, said to be the oldest form of a hotel in the world, dating back to the 8th century. Kadojin is a unique, authentic Ryokan experience.

Our accommodation consisted of three expansive rooms divided by hand-painted sliding screens depicting cherry blossoms and outdoor landscapes. The first room was a traditional sitting room with customary, low Japanese chairs, called ‘zaisu’ or ‘tatami chairs’ resting on tatami mats. In one corner, there was a small refrigerator and a tea kettle. In the opposite corner stood a basket with towels and little cloth bags for carrying items to the onsen. We were each provided with two kimonos with matching sashes, traditional ryokan socks, indoor ryokan slippers, and bedroom slippers. There’s a great deal of slipper changing in a ryokan!

The second room was the writing/reading room, and the third was our bedroom.

In addition, a long room ran the length of the three rooms. It was furnished with Western armchairs, a hammock, and windows overlooking the garden.

Our suite had two washrooms and a toilet.No showers or baths and no need for them. Bathing takes place in the onsens. One onsen is an outdoor garden onsen that affords complete privacy. Bathers lock the door leading to the garden, wash in an outdoor covered shower, then relax for as long as they wish in the bubbling onsen and shower again before wrapping themselves in a kimono.

The indoor onsens are communal—one for males and one for females. A room leading to the bubbling hot water bath and the showers is equipped with hairdryers, mirrors, and lockers. Once you’ve experienced a therapeutic onsen, you’ll be addicted.
Note: Bikinis and bathing suits are not allowed in onsens. To ensure that the water is clean, bathers are required to remove all clothing and shower before stepping into the bubbling waters. People with tattoos are generally forbidden to use onsens.

Most ryokans include breakfast and dinner. At the Kadojin, each suite is allotted a private dining room. The food is laid out like a work of art on tiny plates, bowls, stone slabs, boilers, and grills, and the staff come and go, politely delivering endless courses and removing used dishes.

Dorogawa Onsen is a public onsen with flowering gardens located on the quaint main street, which is lined with ryokans, a small supermarket, restaurants, and even a couple of coffee shops.
The village is considered to be a center of spiritual power. The name Tenkawa translates to “River of Heaven.”

Dorogowa Onsen..
Another ryokan in the village
Main street in Tenkawa
River runs through the village..

Most visitors to Tenkawa come prepared to hike through the forests along the gushing river that leads to Mitarai Valley, where trails are well maintained, a suspension bridge straddles the valley, and a variety of waterfalls tumble through the rock formations past red, golden, and copper colored autumn leaves.

Among the trees of the forest, we stumbled across an almost hidden jewel: a tiny, ancient, red shrine.

A walk through the village toward the waterworks leads to a monumental Shinto/Buddhist temple filled with sparkling icons. The temple is set against a backdrop of the forest and winding paths that beckon one to explore.

A late lunch of Japanese noodle soup at the little restaurant and coffee shop across the road from Kadojin is a perfect reward after hiking and exploring.