Bandai-Azuma Lake Line Get out at Nakatsugawa and enjoy autumn on foot, too

On a one-night autumn trip to Urabandai, I drove north from Tokyo with my friend in the passenger seat. We were staying at an inn that night, and I wanted to take an autumn drive before heading there. On a late October morning, we joined the Bandai-Azuma Lake Line from the Inawashiro side. It has been a regular prefectural road since July 25, 2013. I wound through trees turning colour, each bend revealing another stretch of road in its own autumn hues. Along the way we crossed Nakatsugawa Bridge, an arch bridge that apparently offers a view down into the gorge. But I was driving, so I kept my eyes on the road and saved the view for when we arrived.

I parked at the Nakatsugawa Gorge Rest House. When I stepped out of my red car, top still down, I saw the trees along the far side of the car park already turning colour. Unlike when I was driving, I could make out the shape of each individual leaf, and that made me happy. There was a flush toilet and a covered pavilion in the car park too, just right for getting ready before the walk.

I straightened my jacket and the cuffs of my knit top, then checked my boots. My friend was already looking towards the gorge. On the left were steps and a handrail; to the right, a grassy patch dotted with rocks. Leaves had fallen on the paving underfoot. I’d only just got out of the car, yet it already felt as if I’d stepped right into autumn.

“Looks like we can walk down to the gorge from here,” I said to my friend. A trail runs down beside the rest house, and it takes about 15 minutes to reach the river. I picked my way down one step at a time, checking my footing as the sound of water grew louder. The moment I caught a glimpse of the white water through the trees, I blurted out, “Oh!”

At the river, water surged between the rocks. The autumn leaves I’d been looking down at were now arching right over my head. Fallen leaves clung to the rocks underfoot, damp from the spray. I’d heard that Nakatsugawa flows on into Lake Akimoto. I followed the stream with my eyes, imagining the water in front of me making its way all the way to the lake.

Among the trees overhead, I spotted one with fine, needle-like leaves turning yellow. I’d heard there were larches along the route, too. I’d always pictured maple leaves when I thought of autumn foliage, but even those fine needles change colour. When I told my friend, she laughed: “You’re looking at the shape of the leaves again.” I answered seriously, “Well, different leaf shapes change how their colours look.”

I made it back to the rest house along the uphill trail, breathing a little harder. For lunch, I ordered the Aizu Jidori chicken rice bowl, one of the rest house’s own creations. The first bite tasted especially good after the walk, and my friend and I looked at each other and nodded. Afterwards, we sat in the pavilion in the car park and showed each other the photos we’d taken by the river.

Back at the car, my friend spread out the map and started checking whether we could swing by Sanko Paradise before heading to the inn. Apparently, it’s a viewpoint where you can see Lake Hibara, Lake Akimoto and Lake Onogawa all at once. I continued along the Lake Line with the top still down.