Exploring Countryside Japan | Village Life, Forest Trails & 280-Year-Old Home | Kawanehon, Shizuoka

Exploring Countryside Japan | Village Life, Forest Trails & 280-Year-Old Home | Kawanehon, Shizuoka

Hi everyone, we’re out in the peaceful countryside of Shizuoka prefecture in this little town called Kawanehon We’re staying in a 280-year old traditional house It was meant to be taken down, until the owners bought it and brought it back to life Let’s do an accomodation tour The living room With a traditional tatami mat setting They’ve provided blankets… love little touches like this A section for making hot drinks The cups are so beautiful The bedroom Minimal, yet elegant The owners have done a wonderful job restoring this house & the fresh flower arrangements give the room a really special touch Ginger lilies from the garden They smell divine The end of the hallway has a small bookshelf There’s also some toys if you’re bringing children with you The back garden In September & October, you can make distilled flower water with the ginger lilies in the garden For this, I’d recommend prebooking with the host My favourite section is the bath area They have a traditional Goemon bath that’s heated with firewood The water you use will go straight to the rivers So you can only use eco-friendly soaps in this area Breakfast is served in the dining room An assortment of small dishes paired with rice and miso soup The meal is 100% vegan and home cooked by the owner It’s actually quite rare to find a vegan establishment in Japan I’m not a vegan, yet the food was incredibly tasty This chestnut that was so naturally sweet yet earthy The fireplace is really cozy, I could stay here all day Finishing off with a sweet and refreshing grape juice Today we’re going to do a forest trail that leads to a suspension bridge The host told me about this bus stop, it’s not even on Google Maps If I miss my bus, the next one will be in 4 hours! Surprisingly, the bus came on time even in this rural area The host kindly wrote down the bus times for me when I left this morning I don’t think I’ve ever travelled without relying on Google Maps I’m going based on verbal and written instructions, wish me luck! We have reached the ‘Sumatakyo Onsen’ stop It’s a sleepy village With only a few shops around Most of them don’t look open though You might find the Japanese serow in this area The shops here all look like they are from a bygone era Yam mochi is a local delicacy here There’s an onsen here too Perfect to wind down after a hike I was given a map to follow It’s a 1.4km walk to the suspension bridge Autumn is coming The leaves will soon turn red After watching Spirited Away, tunnels always carry a bit of mystery for me In Japan, tunnels are often seen as gateways to the spirit world On the other side there’s fresh drinkable spring water There’s a ladle prepared, things are so well thought out here I can see the suspension bridge now From here, the water looks incredibly blue The water is actually clear, but can appear cobalt blue or emerald green depending on the light They call it the Tyndall effect Its name translates to ‘Bridge of Dreams’ There’s a myth that if you make a wish in the middle of the bridge, it will come true The bridge sure is bouncy! There’s only a small section you can walk on I was so focused on holding my phone, I totally forgot my wish After crossing the Bridge of Dreams, you can hike further up to Hiryu Bridge Since we went down a lot of stairs just now, it’s a lot of stairs back up Japan really keeps you fit… I average about 15,000 steps a day There’s still more to go… I’m really tired now I wonder what’s this for 350 metres to go… The bridge is perched high up above a gorge I think it’ll be really beautiful here during autumn Let’s find a cafe to rest This is one of the few shops that’s open today They have a little hand onsen at the entrance Cute! It’s warm This place is a traditional tea house You can either choose to sit on the tatami or tables and chairs The proprietress has lovingly decorated the space with handmade art pieces You can tell she put a lot of care into it I ordered the ‘Bridge of Dreams’ cider & a Gohei mochi that she told me was ‘oishi’ which is grilled rice cake drizzled with a sweet and savoury walnut-miso sauce This shop is ran by a lovely elderly couple At 12pm I was the only customer here Sometimes I do wonder how these businesses can survive I have to say, the Gohei mochi is so delicious, I ordered a second one The rice is incredibly soft Got a small parting gift! Please consider supporting the shop if you’re in this area 🙂 I got one hour until my bus arrives so let’s check out the local shrine The approach leads to a stone that’s literally called ‘Great Stone That Will Not Fall’ There’s alot of stairs to reach it… my legs are feeling wobbly But I’m interested in this stone because of the name It’s known to the locals as a ‘mysterious power spot’ & described as ‘a big stone that looks like it might fall but doesn’t’ It truly does look like it’s floating on the edge of the mountain It’s visited by people who work at ‘heights’ to pray for safety Like for example those taking entrance exams or jobs in high positions We’re back home and the host has prepared my Goemon bath The water has been warmed to the perfect temperature It’s relaxing to bathe under natural light Also they have a bottle of ginger lily water made from the flowers in the garden Smells so good I’ll see you in a bit! When travelling, don’t forget to do nothing once in a while There’s this melody that plays at 5pm every day It’s mainly to test the speakers used for emergency annoucements They decided a calming jingle was better than blasting a test siren The whole town is illuminated by a beautiful pink glow Dinner is served Tonight the main dish is deep fried vegetables with a special mustard dressing It’s fried to perfection Another day, another cute hand towel Don’t be fooled by how simple it sounds, the dishes all tasted amazing I could totally be a vegan if my dishes were like this every day Dessert was a plate of fruits but I wish I had the pudding from yesterday as well Let’s take a walk around the village This is a tea farm This is a scene from Yuru camp Came across another suspension bridge Because of how bouncy it is, suspension bridges are fun to walk on Today’s our last day here and the host will send us back to Senzu station But not before another great breakfast spread I wonder how long it takes to prepare each small dish Love the soups here The host also loves to travel He draws inspiration from the food he’s eaten while travelling to make his own recipes There’s a souvenir here called Chabacco It’s powdered matcha packaged like cigarette packs I’m getting one for my brother since he likes Yuru Camp The host also kindly gifted me a bottle of flower water If you enjoy off-the-beaten-path travels, please consider subscribing I’ll see you in the next one 🙂

Life in the idyllic Japanese countryside; staying in a 280 year-old house, homemade vegan food, Goemon bath heated with firewood, forest trails to a cobalt blue lake, the Bridge of Dreams, delicious Gohei mochi, out-of-the-beaten path Japan travels.
I hope you enjoy 🙂

☕ If you’d like to buy me a coffee
https://ko-fi.com/ririregine

Date visited: 28th October 2025

Accomodation https://acai-kawane.com

Equipment:
– Filmed with iPhone 16 Pro
– Edited with capcut
– Kraftgeek Tripod https://tinyurl.com/mr7kjdp7 (affliate link)
15% Discount Code: RIRITRAVELS

Music from
Artlist: Get 2 months free https://artlist.io/referral/b38638ac-06f1-4c2c-9e82-49407f4a37fc
Epidemic Sounds: Free trial https://share.epidemicsound.com/3c6yfc
*above are affliate links, if you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you

Places mentioned
Kominka tea cafe Yamaguchiya https://maps.app.goo.gl/E7C3wqbgnFT4x5zD8
Great Stone That Will Not Fall https://maps.app.goo.gl/ygbGsh4bsBJFDA9z9

#ghiblivibes #japanvlog #ruraljapan