We stopped off at a pretty beach to grab a bite to eat first. We sat on the sand and watched the surfers catching waves but not until Yasu had built us an impromptu mini bridge over a stream! The wind was very strong and was whipping the sand up against us, pockets and trainers full after 10 minutes!
Kazawu is famous for a hike with 7 stunning waterfalls in a row. The journey there took us high into the mountains and included one of the most bizarre pieces of civil engineering I have ever seen. In order to climb a steep incline the road leaves the mountain side and spirals twice round far above the ground before rejoining the hill. A definite case of function over form but still I found it attractive in a different way.
Once we parked we took a very precarious walk down a looooong set of steep moss covered steps to the first waterfall. OMG! It was stunning. It was quite a long drop, the water was thundering away and a fine mist filled the air.
We slowly worked our way on the challenging path across rope bridges and precarious ledges to the other waterfalls. Each of them were different, some tall, some small and winding but all of them were stunning. We passed a cute shop selling a very random selection of souvenirs and vegetables and also a guy who had spent the last 10 years building his own house and now uses it as a restaurant.
We reached the onsen resort, bid farewell to Angela and Yasu and paid our 1000¥ entry fee. We had to hire special shorts which were in no way flattering, probably the most horrid shorts available, I guess they gotta make sure they get returned!
We entered the resort, again down more steps. At one point we had to cross the public path in our fetching shorts, this happened very quickly! In the resort there were lots of different onsens. One was in a cave with a little Buddha statue, another was very long and lots more were tucked away and hidden in little huts.
The main attractions were the hot springs at the the base of the final waterfall in the line of seven. I can't describe how beautiful the surroundings were, the massive waterfall shining in the sunlight, the cold mist contrasting with the heat of the volcanic water in the pool and stunning greenery surrounding us.
After lounging in the pool and exploring the area for a few hours we changed and made our way to the station for the journey back to Tokyo!
Location:Izu
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