Driving to Seven Falls on a VERY Hot August Day

This seemed like a great day to drive out of town and into the mountains to cool off a little. It's Obon time in Japan. Obon is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one's ancestors. It is believed that each year during Obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives. Traditionally, lanterns are hung in front of houses to guide the ancestors' spirits, Obon dances (bon odori) are performed, graves are visited and food offerings are made at house altars and temples. At the end of Obon, floating lanterns are put into rivers, lakes and seas in order to guide the spirits back into their world. The Obon week in mid-August is one of Japan's three major holiday seasons, accompanied by intensive domestic and international travel activities and increased accommodation rates. This is why we return from the US to Japan at the end of July . . .

As we drive out of Iwakuni, we see a girder suspended from overhead cables, that is being moved into place over the river.

We think this may be a suspension bridge under construction. 

Children cooling off in the river near the Kintai Bridge. 

Even on this very hot August day, there are many people walking across the Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni. 

This little Isuzu truck is an "ELF" 

Inside a short tunnel of poured concrete. 

Boats in the river with a grove of bamboo trees behind. 

This is the area of the Nishiki River highway that has finally been repaired from the damage done in last sumer's typhoons. 

The white area is Yamaguchi Prefecture -- kind of like the county in which we live. Stan is pointing to Iwakuni. Oshima Island is shown below his arm. 

Rice growing alongside the highway. 

Further up the road, we saw what we thought was probably new bridge construction.

How did that little backhoe get way up there on the side of the hill? 

This is still a 2-lane road . . . I guess I should be grateful that there's a guardrail. You can see ahead where the road switches back. 

This is the really narrow part of the trip. At least it's not on my side this time! 

That's the tollroad above us as the road widens again.

Another tunnel 

Families enjoying the cool water and cooler mountain air. It is still VERY hot today! Since it is Obon, most workers are off on vacation with their families. 

Yow -- this water is icy!  

Stan cooling off 

Looking up at the falls. There are several more above this one -- seven in all, but you have to hike up the mountain to see them.

Unnecessary warning? 

Rice fields in the country 

Mountain spring water has been diverted to flow into a stream below. 

Big rocks in this little stream 

Stan's cooling off again in the icy cold water of another stream. I didn't want to climb down the rocks to get there this time.