frolicking in a fall fairytale

Misael and I made use of a day without rain and went to frolic in the leaves. It has been raining non-stop here so it was definitely welcome. We went into the small mountains of Gosen and discovered a beautiful little waterfall. The surrounding area was almost magical with fallen leaves strewn about and the perfect light causing the water to glimmer. I wish the pictures could do it justice. We followed a path into the woods that was much longer than we expected. We were busy panting up some log stairs when a few little old women, or perhaps they were fairies, passed us a double our speed. The walk was worth it when we emerged into a clearing half expecting ninjas to leap off the roof of a wonderful shrine. Most places in Japan are either too commercialized or too rustic to conjure times gone past but this shrine was straight out of a movie. The shrine had a beautiful rock garden with stunning fall foliage and we tramped through the leaves and marveled at the beauty .