To the southeast of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture sits Akiusato. This village boasts many onsen and onsen hotels due to the thermal activity in the area, but that is not all. There is so much activity that even parts of the river give off steam. This river, the Natori, has also cut through the bedrock that the town is founded on, creating a 2-km (1.24-mile) gorge known as Rairaikyo Gorge that separates the halves.

However, the trail is only 1 km (0.6 miles) long and starts and ends in the town, offering breathtakingly beautiful gorge views. While the path does not go down to the river’s edge, it has many ups and downs, outcroppings, and viewpoints.

Due to the damp air, spray from the river below, and waterfalls that run off the walls of the gorge, it can also be slippery, so suitable clothing and shoes for hiking are worth wearing. This trail will not take much time (approximately half an hour) to complete, so it can easily be combined with other things in the area, such as a break from dipping in the onsen!

This area is also densely forested, making autumn a great time to visit and see the changing leaves of the foliage. Tohoku (the region including Miyagi Prefecture) is known for having beautiful colours leaves during this time.

Getting to Rairaikyo Gorge

Rairaikyo Gorge is not difficult to get to. From Sendai Station, you can take a couple of buses, including the Sendai Seibu Liner and the Akiu Sato Liner (秋保線), both of which stop at the Akiu Sato Center, which is very close to Rairaikyo Gorge, and take about half an hour.

Tickets cost less than ¥1,000 for adults (the exact price depends on which one you take as they are run by different companies). For the Seibu Liner, you can pay with IC/credit cards and cash. For the Akiu Sato Liner, you can pay with IC cards and cash.

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