Oirase Gorge

Last weekend, we went exploring with some friends. We were in search of some sunshine and fireworks and we found a lot more. We started our day with lunch and a quick stop at a Japanese thrift store. Then we made our way towards the Oirase Gorge. (For a short description, see Wikipedia's Oirase River.)

It's about an hour, hour and a half drive from base. It wasn't a bad drive at all, but I also wasn't driving! We were carpooling, so Jeff and I had the luxury of just riding along.



I was blown away by how gorgeous and GREEN everything was.



We drove through the majority of the area. I would've loved to get out of the car and walk for miles, but we had small children in tow. As we drove we'd get quick peeks of the streams and waterfalls that make it so beautiful.



It was a Saturday afternoon, so the place was somewhat crowded. Parking spots were tight and there were small crowds along the paths. Luckily, the Japanese are so respectful and considerate their crowds are nothing like a group of Americans. It was still quiet and serene.



We stopped at a couple different spots along the way. Mostly the most picturesque waterfalls. A lot of the path seemed to wind right alongside the road, which neither of us were huge fans of. It isn't all that fun to walk alongside cars when you want to get into nature. We're both assuming (and hoping) there are additional paths that wind deeper into the woods and away from the cars.



I wasn't aware of it at the time, but apparently the gorge is a piece of the Towada-Hachimantai National Park. It certainly is beautiful enough to deserve preserving for years and years.



Jeff is a nature lover completely. He loves being outdoors, especially in woods and mountains. Give him a backpack of supplies and he'll happily trek into the forest.



I'm working on my outdoors love, but it's hard not to love it when it looks like this.



It was such a unique experience. I grew up in the Midwest, and while it's certainly not the desert, the trees there aren't as lush and numerous as they are here in northern Japan. Especially in the Oirase Gorge. It was like being wrapped in green. If you looked up, you saw green instead of blue.



I can't wait to go back and explore some more. I've heard that it's beautiful in all four seasons. In the winter, the waterfalls apparently freeze in beautiful sculptures. I can only imagine how beautiful all this green will be when fall comes around and the colors start changing. Jeff and I have plans to experience every season in this little slice of beauty.