I'll talk about the Okutama Hatonosu Gorge, which I couldn't discuss in yesterday's broadcast.
Hello everyone. I'm Tsukui, and I run a cafe in Shimokitazawa called "WAITER-U" that feels like a campsite. In yesterday's broadcast, I talked about going to see the Hossawa Falls in Okutama, which is only a three-hour drive from central Tokyo. I suggested a quick and easy way to refresh yourself by seeing the mystical waterfall that freezes over in winter, but actually, there was another place I really wanted to talk about in yesterday's broadcast.
That's the Okutama Hatonosu Gorge that I'll be talking about today.
The Isshintei inn, which is now in ruins, and the Souryu Falls and Suijin Falls in the Hatonosu Gorge of Okutama, near the Hozawa Falls that I introduced in yesterday's broadcast, are places I learned about from a video by Teru-san TV, whom I greatly admire.
Each video from Teru-san TV is like a movie, a beautiful and deeply moving visual experience that weaves together delicate human sensibilities, nature, and indescribable emotions such as past memories and the feeling of "I wanted to be this way, but I didn't."
I saw a video on Teru-san TV where he visited Hatonosu Gorge, Isshintei, and the Twin Dragon Falls and Suijin Falls, and after watching it, I really wanted to go there myself. I usually don't actually go out of my way to do something after watching YouTube, but Teru-san TV's videos are an exception. I really wanted to see it with my own eyes and feel the atmosphere of that place.
It seems that Isshintei was in business until around 2000, but now it's a ruin, with the sign from the hot spring inn still there. Ruins might have a scary image, but for me, it was a place that felt somehow nostalgic.
It's a place that brings back memories of my childhood, when my grandmother was still alive. It's an extraordinary space, completely detached from everyday life. That's the best way to describe it.
What was particularly striking was the drum can that always seemed to be in the same spot on the inn's grounds, looking as if it had been shot through. In Teru-san TV's video, the drum can was also shown standing there quietly. The rusty, punctured drum can seemed in Teru-san's video to be a symbol of time standing still, of something that would never change.
Seeing it in person was even more shocking and moving than when I saw it in Teru's video. It wasn't just a landscape of ruins; it was an indescribable sight that made me feel the lives of the people who lived there and the passage of time.
As I walked around the oil drums, the scenes of the inn and Teru's own past memories that were shown in Teru's video overlapped with my own memories, and I was enveloped in a strange feeling, as if I had been there myself.
And then there are the "Twin Dragons Waterfall" and the "Water God Waterfall," scattered throughout the valley. The mystical sound of the waterfalls, the rustling of the trees, the chirping of birds.
In yesterday's broadcast, due to time constraints, I wasn't able to talk about Hatonosu Gorge, Isshintei, Souryu Falls, and Suijin Falls, but I really wanted to share them with you all.
Yesterday's Haraizawa Falls and today's Hatonosu Gorge, including Isshintei. I wanted to let everyone know that in Okutama, just a short trip from central Tokyo, there are many places that will make you forget about everyday life.
So, I've been secretly thinking about giving this activity a name. If anyone has any great name ideas, I'd love to hear them in the comments section of my Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), or YouTube. I'm looking forward to hearing your ideas!
