Rairaikyo Gorge

Locally knownKnown to people who live here. Not in the international guidebooks.

Researched and written by Hinato

RairaikyoAkiuSendaigorge walkNatori river

Miyagi · Sendai

38.2303°N, 140.6962°E

Miyagi's geography does a lot of the work at Rairaikyo Gorge — the rest is knowing when to show up.

The Natori river cuts a gorge twenty metres deep through rock at Akiu, right at the entrance to the hot spring village, and a walking path of about 650 metres runs along the rim past named features — Hakkengan, Kimen-gan, Shigure-daki, Misuji-daki. The rock is close and overhanging in places, and the noise of the water is constant.

At Nozoki-bashi, the bridge in the middle, a heart-shaped hollow has been worn into the rock below, which the city has certified as a lovers' sanctuary and which most visitors now come for. That is a fair summary of the place: a genuinely dramatic small gorge that happens to have a photogenic accident in it. Parking is free, it is a few minutes from the hot spring inns, and it costs nothing.

Visiting essentials

Best season

Late October–early November for autumn colour | May for fresh green

How long to allow

45–60 minutes

Hours

Open access | Daylight only

Closed: Open year-round

Entry fee

Free | Free parking

Finding your way there

Getting there in detail

Akiu-machi Yumoto, Taihaku-ku, Sendai, at the entrance to Akiu Onsen. By car or bus from central Sendai. Free to visit, with a large free car park opposite Nozoki-bashi and further parking at the Akiu Sato Center a short walk away. The path along the gorge runs about 650 m downstream from Nozoki-bashi, with a further trail behind the Akiu Sato Center. The heart-shaped hollow in the rock below Nozoki-bashi is certified as a lovers' sanctuary.

Local knowledge

**Look down from Nozoki-bashi.** The heart-shaped hollow is directly below the bridge and is easy to miss from the path. **Walk the 650 metres.** The named rocks and small falls downstream are the substance of the gorge, and most visitors photograph the heart and leave. **Free parking opposite the bridge.** Large and rarely full outside the autumn peak. **Combine with Akiu Otaki.** The 55-metre waterfall is further up the valley and the two together with a bath make a standard Sendai day trip. **Late October to early November.** Autumn colour in a narrow gorge, and it is close enough to the city that the paths get busy at weekends.

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