A Shortcut to Mushrooms

So I just realized I never posted this blog. So normally, since internet has been rough, I type up a blog post on Notepad then when I get internet I post it. But I had put this file under already published. My bad.

Shortcut to Mushrooms

Seriously Awesome view.

So Tetsuya and I have been lamenting the fact that first of all its too cold to go swimming, and second we can’t really go hiking.

You see this mountain? Its all forest. It belongs to Mother Nature. Humans keep out.

Hiking here is a group venture, you go in a large group maybe a couple times a year. Why? Because its all wilderness out there!!

One side you have nature, the other humans.

Japanese towns are compact and efficient and they leave everything else to nature. So hiking here is not like traipsing about the blue ridge parkway where you are more likely to see a car then a deer.

Efficient Countryside living, House, rice field, House, Rice field.

In Japan you are more likely to see a bear then another human being on a trail! So I have yet to be on one of these group hikes sadly, but I hope to one day. I hear they sing songs along the pathway to scare off bears and wear bells. It sounds delightful.

Adventure is out there! But we will stick to bikes.

But Tetsuya and I aren’t that adventurous, but we did see on our frequent bike rides there was a small well maintained 100% safe 1km long trail to a series of waterfalls. How unqiue! We can hike and see waterfalls! So off we went.

“Here there be waterfalls” it says in Japanese. Its a a terrible English translation I know. =)

To get to the trail we took our usual bike route, see all the lovely ripening golden rice patties waiting to be harvested?

Japan is safe, but we don’t want to leave our bikes on the road; that just doesn’t make any sense.We left our bikes a little further up form the start of the trail.

We found it! Not really just water run off.

So up we go! It was only a 1km one way but its all up hill so we were a little out of breath once we reached the top.

Soo many mushrooms. More Mushrooms then grass.

I was reminded of Hobbits but the amount of various mushrooms on the trail floor.

Ok we really made it. NO it’s not a Dominican Waterfall but it is pretty cute. Check out the shrines!!!

Second waterfall! So really, these are more like streams to us now, but it was still fun.

The water was actually not cold. I think there must be some underground hot spring feeding into the cold waters, because it was not warm water, it certainly wasn’t the fresh crisp mountain water I was expecting.