We had been eagerly anticipating our visit to Minoh Waterfall with our friend Taeko and her family. On our last visit to Japan we had enjoyed meeting her amazingly good-natured baby daughter, Wakana. Now Wakana was a self-possessed three year old who loved "Frozen", princesses, and the color pink. On the train ride to Minoh Waterfall, she viewed us skeptically. Her little brother, Tamon, had a cold, but he was as pleasant and easy-going as Wakana.
After arriving at Minoh station, we walked up the shopping street. In front of almost every shop we passed, people were preparing the local seasonal snack - momiji - fried maple leaves. We didn't get any pictures of this, but here are a couple of shots I found on the web. The maple leaves have little flavor, but the sweet tempura coating them is tasty.
When we stopped at a small shrine to enjoy the autumn foliage, Wakana whipped out her English story books and we read them together.
Here are some pictures of the shrine and the autumn foliage.
We stopped for a lunch of traditional Japanese foods in a small cafe by the stream. Wakana enjoyed dressing and undressing and dressing and undressing her doll. The food, which was served in hand-made pottery, was delicious. A tiny bowl of custard was served for dessert.
Our next stop was scenic Ryuanji Temple.
Nap time for muchkins.
As you can see, it was a perfect autumn day, and many people had decided that a walk to Minoh Waterfall would be a perfect way to spend it. Although there were many people along the way, it didn't feel crowded until we we arrived at the falls where everyone posed for pictures.
Walt and Taeko's husband Masaya took turns taking pictures of our group.
We paused for a cup of coffee and I took a couple more pictures of the kids.
It was a beautiful day spent with a lovely family.
