Naruko Onsen

Naruko is a working onsen town rather than a resort. The inns are mostly small, the main street climbs from the station past kokeshi shops, and on cold evenings you can smell sulfur before you see where it comes from. Kokeshi are why many people know the name. Naruko's style fits the head into the body with a tight joint, so turning it makes a squeak. Kokeshi-dori, the street of doll shops, is the place to buy one. The National Kokeshi Festival is held here each year at the end of August or the start of September. The Japan Kokeshi Museum, closed from January to March, is on the road toward the gorge. For the water, go to Takino-yu, a small public bath next to the Onsen Shrine. The sulfur water comes from the shrine's spring and runs straight into separate men's and women's indoor tubs. It costs 300 yen for adults and 100 yen for children, paid at a ticket machine, and is open 7:30 to 21:00 every day. Bring your own towel and soap. Naruko Gorge is a few kilometres west. The two places everyone stands are the lookout at the Naruko Gorge Rest House and the Ofukazawa bridge over the gorge, and around 150,000 people come during the leaf season, so traffic jams on Route 47 are normal at weekends.