Summer Vacation in Japan #4: Waterfalls & Mountains

A lot of days and a even travel has passed since the last update, but now I am back with even more beautiful snaps from the land of the Rising Sun. The prolonged rainy season still means cloudy and occasionally rainy days with relatively low temperatures, which, besides the rain, suit my Scandinavian sensitivities just fine. I traveled a lot in Japan during summer as a university student, and got absolutely wrecked by the Japanese summer heat, so it is nice with some more humane temperatures for once, even if it does mean I will have to trade them for clear, blue summer skies.

However, since the rainy days have gotten more infrequent, I have been able to get some exploring done, this time in the mountainous Nagano prefecture, which provided me with beautiful sights of nature both in the form of the aforementioned mountains and waterfalls as well.

Shiraito Falls

And with the waterfall is where I will begin. Standing only 3 meters tall, Shiraito Falls near the town Karuizawa might not be the largest or most imposing waterfalls in the world, or even in Japan, but they certainly offer an unique, beautiful experience nonetheless.

_{The Beautiful and Serene Shiraito Falls}

Spanning an arch of some 70 meters, the falls consists of hundreds of little strings of groundwater springing from the rock surface, which gives the falls their Japanese name: 白糸 meaning white strings. The falls are fed from rainfall on the nearby volcano Mt. Asama, which never dries up even in winter, that penetrates underground and flows along the surface of bedrock until it springs from the rock surface, falls down and ultimately forms the springhead of the Yugawa river.

_{View of the falls from downstream}

Japanese North Alps

Nagano is home to many famous mountains such as Mt. Asama, one of Japan's most active volcanoes, and the mountain range to the north known conveniently as the Japanese North Alps, form a natural border to the nearby Niigata prefecture. I have climbed mountains in Nagano before when the skies were clear and blue, which was certainly a beautiful experience, but the contrasting colours of the green mountain in the foreground, pale blue mountains in the distance and gray-white clouds and their intricate patterns during my this year's climb are certainly evocative as well:

_{The Japanese North Alps from a distance}

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Thank you for reading this entry in my Japan travel series! If you like this post, please leave an upvote and a comment and do not forget to follow me for more updates from my ongoing trip to Japan! Check out the earlier entries as well: Rain & Aquariums, Ise Grand Shrine and Bits, pieces & Impressions