かしわぎ・Kashiwagi
This hamlet is located on the west side of the Yoshino river about midway through the village. For multiple reasons, this hamlet regularly draws visitors from all across Kansai.
One of the biggest draws in a source of natural spring water that is said to have been created by the wandering monk, Kukai. It is common to see people from out of the prefecture filling up entire pickup trucks filled with empty 10L jugs with this water to be used in cooking and bathing.
The restaurant next to this spring, 秀（Hidé）makes use of this water in their coffee and all of their food. The owners of this restaurant manage this spring water and will gladly help you fill your jugs free of cost should you have any questions. The water does not flow on Thursdays and Fridays but is generally flowing nonstop every other day.
This photo was taken along the main strip of Kashiwagi, located above Rt. 169. This used to be one of the busiest locations in all of Kawakami and before Rt. 169 was build this was the main road running through Kawakami. Believe it or not, there was once a movie theatre located just at the end of where the road in this photo leads to.
The Asahikan Ryokan 朝日館 旅館 in the background is a fantastic place to stay if you are looking for a traditional ryokan experience. It has been opened for over 100 years and has helped facilitate pilgrims on their journeys along the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route.
There is a trailhead leading to Mt. Omine right across from the hotel, but it is a very dangerous route that is not used frequently. It is highly advised that you do not take this unless you absolutely know what you are doing.
No trip to Kawakami is complete without a trip to Hidé 秀 or the newly-opened Opencafe秀 mentioned above. Both of these are located right along Rt. 169.
The daily set meal 日変わり定食 (Higawari-Teishoku) and the Yakisoba Teishoku 焼きそば定食 are local favorites. The outdoor cafe is a great place to watch the world go by. The cafe is closed on Tuesdays and on the first Wednesday of every month. They also maintain an inn for cyclists and bikers where you can sleep in a room above the café for 2,000円. Inquire with the restaurant for more details.
