…Hello.

This is Tohoku Itako.

In mid-October, I wrote about the autumn leaves on Mt. Kurikoma.

The autumn colors descend from the mountaintops. …Do you remember me writing that?

Half a month has passed since then. The colors have now made their way down near the villages.

So last week, I went to chase after them.

To Naruko Gorge in Osaki, Miyagi.

My companion this time was Kiritan.

🍁 I Invited Her, and She Came

Itako: “…I’m going to Naruko to see the autumn leaves.”

Kiritan: “Will we be walking?”

Itako: “…A little.”

Kiritan: “Is there an onsen?”

Itako: “…There is.”

Kiritan: “I’ll go.”

The negotiation was over in ten seconds.

She dislikes going outside, but if there’s a good reason, she’ll come along.

…All I have to do is provide that reason.

Zundamon saw us off, wrapped in a blanket, saying, “I’m fine with staying home, nanoda! It’s cold, nanoda!”

🏞️ The Sound of the Valley

Naruko Gorge is a canyon carved over a long period of time by the Oya River.

It’s about 100 meters deep.

Steep cliffs on both sides are densely covered with trees.

The best time to see the autumn leaves is usually from late October to early November.

When we went last week, it was right in the middle of peak season.

This time, we decided to view the valley from the observation deck.

The moment I stood before the railing and peered over.

Kiritan: “…Whoa.”

The cliff face was red, orange, and yellow from top to bottom.

Here and there, the deep green of pine trees was mixed in.

Because of that green, the reds looked even redder.

…Perhaps color is defined by the colors placed next to it.

Far below, I could hear the sound of the river.

Even though the stream was barely visible, the sound reached all the way up.

Kiritan: “If this were a game, there would definitely be something down there.”

Itako: “…Like what?”

Kiritan: “A treasure chest or something. Halfway down the cliff.”

Itako: “…Don’t go trying to get it.”

Kiritan: “I won’t. This is reality, after all.”

…As long as you know it’s reality, that’s fine.

🍂 Looking Up at Leaves, Looking Down at Leaves

The autumn leaves at Mt. Kurikoma were leaves you looked up at.

Gazing up from below at the colors spreading across the mountainside.

Naruko Gorge is the opposite.

Leaves you look down on.

The colors fall away toward the bottom of the valley.

They’re the same autumn colors, but just changing your line of sight makes them seem like something else entirely.

The trees showing their colors are beech, oak, and maple.

Because so many different trees are mixed together, the reds and yellows aren’t just single shades.

Kiritan: “I feel like there are more colors here than in the photos Zunko-neesama showed me of Mt. Kurikoma.”

Itako: “…You’re right. Maybe they multiplied on their way down.”

Kiritan: “Do autumn leaves multiply?”

Itako: “…No. I just said that.”

Kiritan laughed a little.

♨️ The Sound of the Hot Spring

After viewing the valley, we went to Naruko’s onsen town.

White steam was rising from all over.

In the chilly air, only those spots felt soft.

As promised, we stopped by a footbath.

Kiritan: “…Ah. This is nice.”

She took off her socks and gently put her feet in.

Kiritan then became completely still.

Five minutes. Ten minutes.

Itako: “…It’s about time.”

Kiritan: “Not yet.”

Fifteen minutes.

Itako: “…Your face is red.”

Kiritan: “It’s just the reflection of the autumn leaves.”

…It was not.

When she stood up, Kiritan wobbled a little and grabbed my sleeve.

She was woozy from the heat.

I had her rest on a bench and drink some cold tea little by little.

Kiritan: “…So people really do get woozy from a footbath.”

Itako: “…There’s one right in front of me.”

It’s easy to think you’ll be fine since it’s just your feet.

But if you soak for a long time, your whole body will warm up.

…In moderation. And don’t forget to drink water.

🎎 The Sound of the Kokeshi

In the onsen town, there are several workshops that make kokeshi dolls.

At one of them, we got to watch an artisan at work for a bit.

Naruko Kokeshi.

A large head. A body that’s slightly indented in the middle.

The body is often painted with a chrysanthemum pattern.

As the artisan moved their brush, red petals appeared one by one on the white wood.

The brushstrokes were confident.

Naruko kokeshi have a unique feature.

The head is fitted into the body.

The part of the neck that’s inserted is made slightly larger than the hole in the body, and it’s apparently forced in all at once using friction while turning on a lathe.

So, when you turn the head…

Squeak, squeak.

It “cries” with a little voice.

Kiritan: “…It squeaked.”

Itako: “…It did.”

Kiritan: “Can I do it again?”

Kiritan turned the head of one of the sample dolls over and over.

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

…She seems to have taken a liking to it.

It’s thought that kokeshi production in Naruko began around the end of the Edo period.

The material is a white wood called mizuki.

It’s a doll that has kept the same shape and continued to make the same sound for a very long time.

👁️ Things With Faces

I stood in front of the shelf for a while.

All the kokeshi lined up had the same shape.

And yet, each one’s face was slightly different.

The narrowness of the eyes. The angle of the brows. The smallness of the mouth.

The condition of the painter’s hand on that particular day must be preserved as is.

Kiritan: “Itako-neesan, are you seeing something?”

Itako: “…Nothing. I’m just looking.”

Kiritan: “It’s scary when a professional says that.”

I tend to stand for a long time in front of things with faces.

…It’s less about my line of work and more about my nature.

I decided to take one of them home with me.

The one with the narrowest, sleepiest-looking face.

Kiritan: “…Doesn’t that one look a little like me?”

Itako: “…You noticed?”

🏠 After Getting Home

I put the kokeshi on a shelf in the living room.

That night.

Zundamon: “Itako-neesan! I-I just heard a squeak from the shelf, nanoda!”

…It was just Kiritan, turning its head.

Kiritan: “Just checking. The sound.”

Zundamon: “Please don’t check it in the middle of the night, nanoda!”

It seems like we’ll be hearing a little squeaking in the living room from time to time for a while.

🍁 Summary

• Naruko Gorge is a canyon in Osaki, Miyagi, about 100 meters deep, carved by the Oya River.
• The best time for autumn leaves is usually late October to early November. This time, we enjoyed the view looking down from the observation deck.
• Naruko kokeshi have large heads and chrysanthemum patterns. Their heads are fitted in, so they squeak when you turn them.
• Even in a footbath, you can get woozy if you soak too long. …Everything in moderation.

I wrote about the autumn leaves up on the mountain in A Trip to See the Mt. Kurikoma Autumn Leaves.

You can find more about me on the Tohoku Itako page, and about the girl who got woozy in the footbath on the Tohoku Kiritan page.

From here, the autumn colors will descend further into the villages and towns.

…The trees near your home might be next.

…Well then.

This was Tohoku Itako.