Naruko Gorge
Naruko Gorge is a popular tourist location during the Fall leave season, which in this area starts during the middle of October and peaks at the end of October / beginning of November (each year’s peak will be slightly different so check online first). Expect the peak week to be extremely busy, with a lot of traffic on the roads. The Fall leaves season is earlier here compared to Tokyo further south (usually end of November pushing into December).
An epic walk awaits you without a car but it is certainly worth the effort during the autumn leaves season. Get there bus train via Furukawa Station, which is a short Shinkansen ride from Sendai. There are buses direct and regular trains so use Google Maps or Jorudan to figure out which way is best for you. Transport will not be frequent so plan area and don’t miss your preferred method back.
Planning your walk
The map above is a bit misleading as while the main viewing areas are there, access directly is only by vehical (parking is available but expect it to get full quickly during peak season and not free – ¥500 for a car). As a tourist your best bet is walking from one of the two nearest stations, Naruko Onsen Station or Nakayamadaira Onsen Station, which are on opposite sides of the Naruko Gorge area. There is a bus that runs between the two stations during the fall leaf season. The timetable is only in Japanese and 2018’s timetable can be found here (also see cheat sheet later in this article).
Scene along walk nearest to Naruko Onsen station 
Sample walk between stations
Below is a sample walk from Naruko Onsen Station, via the 3 main viewing areas, then back home via Nakayamadaira Onsen Station. This walk is a fairly respectable 7km in total, however does not include the 3 viewing area walks that are the main reason for coming. Doing all of those too will add an extra 3km to the trip. There is a restaurant half way, and a rest house right by the main area in case you need a break (although during the peak season these will be busy). There is also the Kokeshi Doll Museum, but it doesn’t seem to have a cafe or somewhere to rest (read about Kokeshi Dolls here).
Cheating with a bus ride
It you don’t want to walk the 1.5km from either station to the main viewing sites then take a bus using the cheat-sheet below.
The timetable for the special bus between Naruko Onsen Station and Nakayamadaira Onsen Station.
The blue letters match up with the walking route map later in this article. Basically you can cheat a bit and take a bus from Naruko Onsen Station (A) to the Short Walk start (B), which will cost ¥230 and save 1.5km 20 minute walk (save your stamina). Or from the rest house to Nakayamadaira Onsen Station, which is another 1.5km, 20 minute walk otherwise
