Day nine of the field study (May 25) began with another large meal. Grilled fish, spicy pollock roe (mentaiko), mustard-filled lotus root (karashi renkon), steamed vegetables, rice and miso soup were among the many items on the menu.

Breakfast

Following breakfast, everyone had free time until noon. This provided ample time for some to enjoy one or more additional baths, and for others to take a short hike beginning at suzume jigoku, or sparrow hells, east of Kurokawa.

The sign at the start of the seiryū no mori walking path.

This hike provides a unique opportunity to walk through the kind of temperate mixed forest that used to be common in Japan, but was replaced in most places by plantations of one or two species, most notably sugi and hinoki. A quick glance at Japan’s mountainous areas looks green, but a closer look often reveals nothing buy straight rows of sugi or hinoki trees. These species are prized by woodworkers, but they are currently much more expensive than comparable imports, and they require pricey maintenance that has left the Japanese mountains to be covered with many neglected forests.

The hike from suzume jigoku winds up and down small hills, past dozens of tree species with a rich undergrowth. The path crosses two streams and eventually ends in a clearing above the forest, where eventually one can see clearly to the Aso mountains to the south.

One of two creeks crossed on the hike.

Shumin and I with the forest below and Mt. Aso in the distant background.

On this hillside we saw people picking zenmai, an edible fern-like plant that we ate the previous night at dinner. It grows wild and can be freely harvested for a short time in the spring.

Picking zenmai

The path then continues downhill toward Kurokawa Onsen. Turning the path into a tourist activity has been a goal of local leaders for some time, both to increase the number of options to visitors beyond only hot springs, and to increase peoples’ awareness of the region’s natural beauty. I am convinced that this hike is worth the effort, but given the visible lack of others on the trail, I am unsure tourism leaders have fulfilled their goals.

A fork in the road – either path leads to Kurokawa.

Shiitake mushrooms being cultivated on the forest floor.

Hikers with rice fields and sugi forest in the background.

The end of the hike brought us back to the town’s information center, where we had a quick lunch and the students gave short group presentations on locations we had visited. They were entertaining and educational, as all presentations should be.

Student presentations

Listening intently to peer work

Finally, a group of young people who comprise Kurokawa’s next generation of leaders shared with us their visions for the resort’s future, including their ideas for what changes to make, as well as what aspects to leave as is.

After these presentations, we walked to the bus stop to catch our ride to Fukuoka. It was a shame to spend so little time in Kurokawa – barely 24 hours, although the average tourist spends even less in this tiny piece of heaven.