Fabulous Fall!

Ben and I had the most wonderful weekend! Since the weather's getting colder with each passing moment, we thought this past weekend would probably be one of our last chances to go camping. We decided to take a road trip down south to Takachiho and Mt. Aso.

We left on Sunday morning and got on the expressway- made it down to Kumamoto in no time at all and decided to check out The Suizenji Jojuen Garden. This turned out to be beautiful- Lots of fall foliage and a big pond where we fed the Koi. there were tour busses from some western country, we're not sure which, but we're betting on Canada, and also a big group from China, so obviously this place is a major attraction for tourists. We strolled around and on our way out of the park, we were almost convinced by a little old saleswoman into buying a bottle of Shochu, this really strong rice liquor. On to our next stop!

We headed out towards Takachiho... still not sure of where we'd be setting up camp. We arrived in late afternoon even after a couple rest stop visits and even a convenience store or two. Takachiho Gorge is the major attraction for this place- and rightly so, it was incredible! Apparently, it was rated in the top 100 waterfalls in all of Japan! wow! We arrived when everyone else seemed to be leaving and we found out that the boat rentals were finished for the evening. We would have to return in the morning. Now, to find a campsite!

Being that we don't often stay anyplace overnight very often, I insisted that we should splurge and stay in a Ryokan instead of camping, since there didn't seem to be a campground close by. We stopped in one hotel that was booked up with tour groups, the next was too expensive- 150,000 yen per person! The friendly staff at the expensive place took a liking to Ben and directed us to the place across the street, which was more reasonable. The woman at this Ryokan only spoke Japanese, but she simplified it enough for us to understand it all. We decided we'd stay the night. Since we only had a shared bathroom, she gave us tickets to Takachiho Onsen, where we truly enjoyed ourselves bathing in public for the first time! Then, very relaxed, we headed to Takachiho Shine where we saw a Yogakura dance. From there, we found a cute little Italian restaurant called BonoBono and ate a lot of pizza and had a tiramisu parfait. Oishi Kuta! It was delish!

The next morning we got an early start and headed straight for the famous Takachiho Gorge. The gorge is the top tourist site for this area, and after seeing it, we understand why. It is one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen. The narrow gorge is known for its waterfalls and the crystal clear water of the river that flows beneath them. We were able to rent a boat and see it from water level... We managed to steer clear of the warterfalls, but while we were paddling back to the dock we saw a group drift directly under one of the smaller falls. The two women on board the boat immediately opened their umbrellas as the captain tried to steer them to safer waters.

After our boat ride, we started on our way home. Along the way, we decided to stop at Mt. Aso, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Unfortunately for us, it was hard to see anything though the fog.