Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Imose-no-taki waterfalls

Continuing our quest to see more sights close to home, our latest excursion took us to the town of Ono, a little less than an hour away by train. The draw: The Imose-no-taki waterfalls, also known as the Husband-and-Wife Falls.

Just a short walk from Onoura train station and we were in a lush little area with a creek running by a small shrine called Ogashira Shrine. Across the creek, we glimpsed the first waterfall, the 55-yard high "female" falls flowing in a slender stream down the cliff.

Female falls

Meandering slowly along the creek, we saw many children wading through the waters, nets in hands, hunting for minnows to scoop up.



Further upstream we came to the male falls, a powerful torrent rushing over large rocks. At 33 yards, it was the shorter of the two but definitely more impressive.

Male falls

It was awfully cute to see lots of young children splashing around in the ankle-deep pool below the falls. The cold water was a bit of a shock when I stepped in, but not unpleasant.

Male falls closer up

Such wonderful natural beauty. A selfish part of me wishes I could have it all to myself.