14 Sep 26
WE GO ON A TRIP TO OBAMA (No not named after the president, but he is celebrated in the City of Obama. )
We left Nana’s around 10am, headed for the town of Obama. Nana is so generous, she has let us have her car for two days to travel to two of the 47 prefectures we have yet to visit.
It took us an hour to reach Lake Biwa which was our first stop. It is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. Lake Biwa, is 4 million years old, located within Shiga Prefecture. We are on a mission to visit all 47 prefectures in Japan and this trip will tick off 2 of the prefectures we hadn’t visited before, Shiga and Fukui.
After a recommendation from Nana, we drove to Metasequoia Avenue, which is famous for a 2.4 km road lined with 500 trees. It is really beautiful and we would have spent more time walking down the road if the weather had been better. It has been raining non stop ever since we left Nanas’, so we took a few photos at Metasequoia Avenue then sought shelter from the rain.
We relaxed at a cafe and I had delicious fish and chips for $10 while Mami had a hotdog and shared some of my chips. It was a huge meal and also very nice. The coffee was also very good, which always makes me happy.
We stopped at Uriwari-no-taki, a waterfall, which is a breathtaking natural spring located in Fukui Prefecture. It was selected as one of the “100 Best Waters in Japan” by the Ministry of the Environment in 1985, a testament to its incredible purity and pristine environment.
Mami and I left the waterfall feeling relaxed and happy. The bright green colour of the trees and undergrowth matched with gentle flow of the waterfall and creek filled us with joy. The waterfall was nowhere near the height and size of other falls we have seen, but this one had a calmness about it that left us feeling at peace with the world. We both loved it. The photos most likely will not come across as special, which I understand, but being there was something I hope will stay with me.
It was only a 20 mins drive to our hotel for the night. We have a spacious room with a view of Wakasa Bay, home to some of the clearest waters along the Sea of Japan coast, hence famous for its delicious seafood. This was apparent when we got our meals which featured a whole large crab each and various seafoods and vegetables.
We enjoyed the meal and then it was time for dip in the hot spring. It was really hot and when we got out I had to have a cold shower to cool me down.
It’s10.30pm Japanese time, so it is time to call it a day. Hope you enjoy reading about our outings on today’s blog as much as we did .
