Despite spending a week at various onsen towns in Hokkaido last winter, we clearly didn't get enough of hot springs, so this past winter break my family did another joint Japan-Taiwan trip with our first stop in the quiet, picturesque Kurokawa, a small hot spring town in the middle of Kyushu.
One of my favorite things about Kurokawa was just walking around town and exploring all the little side streets and alleyways. Despite the large amount of international tourists, Kurokawa has kept a very small-town feel, with its mostly traditional styled buildings and pedestrian-friendly streets.
One of the pedestrian paths in Kurokawa
Kurokawa is a relatively small town - you could walk around the entire perimeter in about an hour or two - but within its boundaries are more types of desserts than we could consume in a single day. By far the best were the cream puffs from Patisserie Roku. The sweet, creamy filling struck a perfect balance with the crispy cookie-crumb shells. They were so good we ended up going back there a second time to pick some up before we left town.
Really good cream puffs
Also notable were the dorayaki from Dora Dora. They look like normal dorayaki from the outside, but take a bite and you’ll find a whole mochi wrapped inside. The dorayaki come in a variety of flavors, from mango to matcha, and are definitely worth trying.
Dora Dora Dorayaki
As a small side trip, we went to Nabegataki falls which was highly recommended by the hotel staff where we were staying. The falls were a bit of a drive out of town and the area was generally pretty rural, meaning public transit wasn’t readily available everywhere, so we did have to take an expensive taxi ride to get there. The views at Nabegataki were pretty cool though - it’s famous for having a huge cave extending behind the falls that you can walk through. It was a nice place for a walk and some pictures, but I would recommend it only to those with (inexpensive) access to a car due to the remote location.
Nabegataki Falls
Of course, the biggest reason people visit Kurokawa is to soak in the onsen. A popular activity there is “onsen-hopping”, in which you purchase a pass from the visitor center that allows you to bathe in any three onsen at participating hotels in town. Sounds interesting, but the hotel we were staying in had small private onsen in each room, so we just used those instead. I can’t think of any better way to start a vacation than to soak in a hot spring and let all your stress melt away.
Private Onsen, AKA heaven
