Naruko



Naruko (&#40180;&#23376;) is a small town in Osaki, Miyagi, known for ancient hot springs. Nestled in the mountainous backbone of Tohoku, Naruko is located entirely within the Kurikoma Quasi-National Park.

Understand
Haiku poet Matsuo Basho passed through the area on the trip that became his masterwork Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a multilingual guide site.

By train
Naruko is accessible by train on the JR East Rik&#363;-T&#333;sen Line, some 40 minutes from Furukawa, an interchange station with the Tohoku Shinkansen line.

By bus
Direct shuttle buses to Sendai and its airport run several times a day for a cost of around &yen;1500.

By car
Two national highways, Route 47 and Route 108, pass through the area.

Get around
Naruko is small enough to cover on foot, though there are intermittent bus and train services. Geta, traditional Japanese wooden sandals, are popular among visitors and can even be rented from the train station. The local proverb geta mo naruko explains why: the literal meaning is "geta are also noisemakers", a reference both to the meaning of the town name (a naruko is a castanet-like clapper, originally designed to scare away birds) and the clip-clapping sound produced by walking on geta.

See
The volcanically active area is famous for the Naruko Hot Spring Villages (&#40180;&#23376;&#28201;&#27849;&#37111;), a cluster of 5 villages &mdash; Naruko, East Naruko, Takayamadaira, Kawatabi and Onik&#333;be &mdash; with abundant onsen hot springs. The reputed curative properties of the springs make them especially popular with people in ill health.

Do
Many of the hotels in the area also offer entry to their baths during the daytime for around &yen;500.



Eat
Most guests eat breakfast and dinner at their lodgings, but there are a number of simple eateries in town.



Budget
Other than camping, there are few budget options here.

Go next

 * Kurihara
 * Tome
 * Wakuya
 * Ishinomaki
 * Tomiya
 * Matsushima
 * Mogami
 * Shinjo
 * Kami