Camper experience part 2: ② Touring limestone caves in Iwate Prefecture

From Tokyo to Iwate Prefecture at once

This article is "Camper Experience Part 2: ① Cabcon Amity] Is a continuation.

My campervan trip is really almost always an "inspiration".

Even though it was quite unplanned, I noticed last time that "a camper van has no time limit such as hotel check-in time or where to go by what time, so it's free and great!" This second trip was a more exciting plan ^^

Was it the day before departure that the final decision was made after having a conversation "Where are you going?" It took about 15 minutes, and I made a rough route map while looking at Google Maps and Internet information, such as "Since I went here ... Oh, there is something here too, so let's stop by."

And the main destination decided this time is "Iwate Prefecture"!

In my home, there are two drivers, my husband and I, so I made a shift system in which another person sleeps while each driver is driving (almost work (laughs)), and the first day is around 9 pm in Tokyo. I left the train and continued to run to Iwate prefecture the next morning.

The distance is about 600 km.

It was past 6 o'clock in the morning when I arrived near my destination in Iwate prefecture after running for 9 hours.

Unlike running in Porsche, it takes time because you will run leisurely anyway. But this leisurely driving is not bad either. I wonder if it was about 80 to 90 km even on a highway with a speed limit of 100 km / h.

It was just right that the speed was not scary considering the influence of crosswinds. If this is Porsche, it seems to be frustrating ^ ^, but I thought that it was a camper and drove comfortably.

By the way, the person who was towing the Heimer trailer in Cayenne seems to have been able to run normally with the running performance as "Cayenne" unlike the cabcon we used.

Non-alcoholic for long-distance trips in a camper

And the important thing is, after all, this traveling friend. It is a non-alcoholic beer. This is already essential (laughs).

I don't drink alcohol at all because I want to be able to change driving 24 hours a day while traveling in a camper van. This is a little sloppy for me who drinks it every night.

Therefore, even though it is non-alcoholic, it is "beer-like", so I always drank it to control the withdrawal symptoms during alcoholism.

Oh, it wasn't alcoholic (laughs).

By the way, last time I bought this dry zero a little at a convenience store on the way, and finally I found out that I consumed a tremendous number, so this time I bought a 500 ml can from the beginning. Fufufu.

Furthermore, because the watercress was broken, the rental car company lent me a cooler box for free, so I bought ice and cooled it in the cooler box.

I'm not drunk, but on a camper trip, only my parents are mentally drunk. I wonder if that's okay, so ^^

The most fun thing is!

Well, I arrived at the roadside station in Iwate prefecture near my destination after 6 o'clock in the morning. The temperature on arrival was 2 ° C.

I took a short break here.

After a short break, I arrived at a certain place in Iwate prefecture, which is the first destination of this trip.

The temperature, which was 2 degrees Celsius after 6 am, had risen to 19 degrees Celsius around 9 am, and there was no better weather.

I parked in the parking lot of the first destination and looked at the surrounding scenery, but it was just nature.

Ah, this is the best. I'm really happy that children can have the opportunity to come into contact with nature in this way.

So where is this? ??

Japan's Three Great Limestone Cave: Ryusendo Cave

This is one of the three major limestone caves in Japan, called "Ryusendo Cave".

This time, just before planning the trip, I was looking at the limestone cave information for some reason, and from there I thought, "Well, then this trip will be the main limestone cave." Completely come up with ^^

But, I love to feel the mystery of nature, so it was great. I'm glad that the children were able to see the amazing scenery created by nature.

It's a little confusing, but it goes down deeper and deeper in the direction of the yellow arrow.

While getting off, I'm going down steadily with the children who lightly pass through my mother (I) who has two illnesses, who says, "Isn't it feeling like I'm going down to Evangelion's Nerv base?"

By the way, the three major limestone caves in Japan are:

• Ryusendo Cave, Iwate Prefecture
• Akiyoshido, Yamaguchi Prefecture
• Ryuga Cave, Kochi Prefecture

That's right. I want to go to Yamaguchi and Kochi prefectures someday ^^

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After all, the underground lake in this limestone cave is amazing, and you can see the underground lake at a depth of 98 meters, but if it is about 35 meters deep, the underground lake is clear. Transparency enough to look like. It was amazing.

It's a pity that the photos can't convey this transparency and beauty.

Anyway, it was an impossible beauty that made me wonder, "Why is it so transparent?" This is just moving.

The stones look like blue, but all of them are already water. You can see the underwater surface in this state. It was so transparent that I thought it was an illusion.

A long time ago, some people lived in this limestone cave, and I couldn't understand it anymore.

Nowadays there are lights (electricity), but long ago there was no such thing, that is, the inside of this limestone cave is always pitch black.

He explained how he lived in such a situation, but he couldn't fully understand it.

Furthermore, there are bats, bats! !!

Sometimes I don't notice it when I'm walking normally, but when I take a closer look, it hangs like "that? Isn't it a bat?" Can you see the bats at the yellow arrows?

It was great to be able to experience the mysteries of the earth that I would never have experienced while living normally in Tokyo.

After fully enjoying Ryusendo Cave, we will head to the next destination.

Even if you are running, this idyllic scenery is the best. It's great that traveling in a campin car is really laid-back and not everyone is impatient with anything.

In the end, I wonder if I can take the measure that "if you get tired, you should take a nap (at PA or roadside station)".

After Ryusendo Cave, which I was able to go to in the state of being reserved for the first time in the morning, Iwate Prefecture came to Morioka City and parked the camper at the hourly parking lot.

I put it in the frame and it was good to be stopped.

What I came to Morioka City for is "lunch".

I'm hungry.

I'm in Iwate prefecture, so I want to eat something like Iwate prefecture. I thought about Morioka cold noodles, but I thought that cold noodles wouldn't be so attractive to children yet, so I planned to eat them for lunch this time.

Here it is. Yes, soba.

Hmm. Soba? You can eat it even in Tokyo, right? No no no.

Yes, that's right, the one I chose for lunch in Iwate Prefecture this time is "Wanko soba", even if it's soba noodles! !!

I wanted to try this once. happy! !! !! First experience! !! ← After all, I'm most pleased with the children (laughs).

I ate a lot.

I have eaten much more than what is generally said to be "the average for women", so I won't post my record. n/a. It was fun! !!

The children also enjoyed their first Wanko soba experience. And each one ate very hard ^^

Japan's oldest limestone cave: Yuugendo

My full stomach went on to ... again, a persistent limestone cave.

This time, anyway, a trip aimed at diving under the earth (is that so?). Next, I visited Yuugendo, which is said to be the oldest limestone cave in Japan. This is also Iwate prefecture. Ichinoseki City has temples registered as World Cultural Heritage, including Chusonji Temple.

It is a limestone cave that was built 350 million years ago, and it is the oldest that you can no longer understand the concept of time.

The children said, "The limestone cave is a little scary. There are bats." I think it was ^^

To Yuugendo ~.

When you enter the entrance, you will continue to enter the underground. It was good when there was electricity ...

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Yuugendo was also amazing, and there were people who lived in this cave in ancient times, which was beyond my imagination.

How can I live here? amazing.

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Furthermore, bats live in this Yuugendo, but when I was walking in this Yuugendo, bats flew toward me from the front!

At Ryusendo Cave, which we visited in the morning, we were thrilled even by the bats that were just standing. It's flying from the front this time! Bats! Aim for ourselves! !!

Already, with the children, "Bats came !!!!", and I was thrilled like a little attraction (laughs).

The bats are small and do not attack, but it was still scary to fly from the front in this dark and narrow underground limestone cave ^ ^

I had a lot of good experiences, and I had a lot of experiences that children couldn't usually do.

Even so, when I was attacked by a bat (but not) at the very end, the children said, "I don't have to go to the limestone cave for a while" (laughs).

I think it's very good for me that I was chased by these bats, and that each one of them becomes a fun memory.

By the way, I will run in a camper again after leaving the limestone cave. The idyllic sight that spreads in front of you is the best.

I wonder, even if you run in Porsche normally, the scenery you see should be the same, so you will be impressed, but the natural scenery you see while spending time with your family in a camper van is somewhat more impressive than usual. is.

Night view of Yamagata prefecture

I keep running while watching the sunset.

After running from Tokyo to Iwate prefecture at once, we will continue to move south toward Tokyo little by little.

On this day, I headed to Yamagata prefecture after Yuugendo.

Is this an almost black image with white dust? It may look like this, but this is the night sky in Yamagata prefecture that arrived that night.

When I actually saw it, I saw a tremendous number of stars there.

At this time as well, while driving the car, I suddenly decided, "Then, let's go to a place where the night view of Yamagata Prefecture is beautiful," and searched the net.

I headed to a park where the night view of Yamagata Prefecture can be seen beautifully, but it was too unplanned, and the park I arrived at was still closed during the winter.

Well, I have to check it a little more in advance before going ^^

Even so, there were some people who were camping like Laid-Back Camp before the exclusion zone, so we also got off the camper and boiled water to make cup ramen and eat it. I did.

It's really great to go around various places in a camper van, boil hot water on the way and eat cup ramen together, or something that feels more fun and delicious than going to a high-class French restaurant in Tokyo. It's fun.

Also, while boiling water, I take pictures of the starry sky. I think it's a really luxurious time just to enjoy nature as time passes slowly.

I was able to drink the coffee I bought at the convenience store with the hot water that I made the cup ramen. This kind of trivial thing is really good.

Oh yeah, did you see the night view of Yamagata prefecture after all? However, although I could not see the view from the closed park, I could see it from the road on the way.

It was very beautiful! !!

I will continue to run further south again. On the way, while taking a break with PA etc.

Then continue the next day: Camper experience part 2: ③ Strawberries and dumplings in Tochigi prefecture

Second camper experience Related article:
① Camper Experience Part 2: ① Cabcon Amity
② Camper experience part 2: ② Touring limestone caves in Iwate Prefecture
③ Camper experience part 2: ③ Strawberries and dumplings in Tochigi prefecture

First camper experience Related article:
① First Camper Experience: Family Trip at Cabcon
② Camper experience 2: Ise Jingu, ferry, Hamamatsu
③ Camper experience 3: First sunrise at Mt. Fuji, meat bun making, Itako
④ Camper experience 4: Footbath tour at Gero Onsen, Gassho Village
⑤ (Extra edition) Let's go to the Volkswagen Group Japan Headquarters in Toyohashi (Mikawa Port)