Scenery. Chapter 1

Alright, so here are some more pictures of beautiful Japan. The waterfall is called Akiu Ootaki and is about a one and a half hour bus ride west of downtown Sendai. I went there last October with 2 friends to admire the falls and the leaf changes in the area. The top right picture is of the nearby Akiu gorge. I'm planning to go again this October to take more pictures and enjoy the day. Akiu town is also a famous hot spring resort (one of the three best in Japan, according to some guide books).

The third picture is, of course, Mt. Fuji. You can't live in Japan without seeing it, and I've been fortunate enough to see it twice and climb it once. This picture was taken last December 24th, when I went to Hakone national park, east of Mt. Fuji and south of Tokyo. The park has beautiful lakes, mountains and forests, and several excellent spots to view Fuji san. We were lucky that it was such a clear day:). My friends and I also stayed at a small youth hostel/hot spring on Christmas eve in the park. We had a couple of drinks and then I had a private outdoor bath in the evening. It was my first time using a Japanese hot spring and it was a very memorable experience; spending Christmas eve staring at the clear starlit sky.

The second time I saw Fuji san was in July, when Renae and I climbed it. It took 20 hours to climb and descend it (including about 8 hours spent in a rest lodge on the side of the mountain) and it rained almost the whole time, so unfortunately I don't have any really good pictures:( It was a great experience though and I'd like to do it again next year when the weather is better in August (we were dumb enough to climb it in July, the rainy season(>_<).