Naruko Onsen, Kurikoma Travel Guides

Naruko Onsen and Kurikoma are home to tourist attractions such as Zenkoji Temple, Tennoji Temple, and Naruko Onsen, tourist events such as the Donton Festival, Summer Festival, and Cosmos Festival, and local delicacies such as karinto, macarons, and beef tongue cider.

Naruko Onsen is located in Naruko Onsen, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, and is the center of the Naruko Onsen Hot Springs Village. Together with Iizaka Onsen in Fukushima Prefecture and Akiu Onsen in Miyagi Prefecture, Naruko Onsen is one of the three best hot springs in Oshu. The hot spring resort extends from in front of Naruko Onsen Station in the direction of Taki no Yu, parallel to National Route 47.

Taki no Yu is a public bathhouse located in the center of Naruko's hot spring resort, and is known as an old bathhouse with a thousand-year history as the sacred hot spring of the Naruko Onsen Shrine. Naruko Onsen has a variety of spring qualities, including sulfur spring, glauber's salt spring, sodium bicarbonate spring, and salt spring.

The area is also known as the birthplace of Naruko Kokeshi dolls, and Kokeshi doll stores and workshops can be found throughout the hot spring resort area.

Naruko Gorge is a sightseeing spot. The gorge is located in the Nakayamadaira Onsen district of Naruko Onsenkyo, and the contrast between the various shapes of rocks and the mountain stream is magnificent. The scenery is especially spectacular during the season of fresh green and autumn leaves. There is a walking trail along the river that takes about one hour to walk, and the view from there is truly spectacular.

Naruko Dam is the first arch-type dam built in Japan with a height of 95 meters and a width of 215 meters. There are many rest stops along the road along the dam lake, so getting out of the car and enjoying the scenery will be a good memory of sightseeing. The dam lake is covered by surrounding mountains, so the scenery of fresh green and autumn leaves reflected on the surface of the lake, especially at sunset when the light shines on the lake, is indescribably beautiful.

Kurikoma is a mountain that straddles Miyagi, Akita, and Iwate prefectures. It was named after the horse-shaped snowflake that appears on the western side of the summit in early summer. Kurikoma National Park is also a large mountain national park that spans Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, and Yamagata prefectures, and is a popular tourist spot.

Tome City is located in northern Miyagi Prefecture on the border with Iwate Prefecture. Municipally, the city is located in the northern part of Miyagi Prefecture, between Kurihara City and Motoyoshi County, bordering on Iwate Prefecture, and is known for its rice production. The city is also known for the large number of migratory birds that come to Izunuma and Uchinuma swamps and the Sako River, which runs through the center of the city, in winter.

During your sightseeing in Tome City, take a look at the Museum of Education (former Tome High School Elementary School Building). This Western-style school building, built in 1888, is designated as a national cultural asset for its Greek-style column-head decoration technique, atrium-style entrance, and balcony on the front second floor.

Izunuma is a paradise for waterfowl, with the highest number of swans and geese in Japan, and is world famous as a habitat for migratory birds, a wetland designated under the Ramsar Convention.