30/11/2019
We dined on wild boar hot pot and grilled mountain fish. The owner of the restaurant’s father was a famous hunter. His trophies are on display throughout the restaurant. We dine old Japanese style. The hearth in the floor, iori.
The owner of the restaurant told us lots of stories over our meal.
There are three waterfalls nearby. The smallest is the Tengu falls. A tengu, a creature red with wings and a long nose used to live by the falls. A Buddhist monk came to tame the tengu and dragons in the area. Many of the temples here are dedicated to the dragons in the area.
The rocks of the Tengu falls are shaped remarkably like a woman’s private parts. Geisha and oiran were famous for bathing under the falls for purification. It was a secret geisha place.
That is why the late Japanese prime minister Kakue Tanaka had an interest in the place and stay in the hot springs nearby.