Well, Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous (though slightly chilly) day, so we decided that a trip up north to Ogimi (FYI, the town with the longest lifespan in the world) to hike was the perfect idea!  Unfortunately, Maya had come down with a fever (it turned out to be the flu - a gift from classmate) which meant Keely had to stay home to take care of her.  We missed them on this adventure, but we returned with good stories and pics that we share with you now:

Our drive took us to the end of a paved road, past a water treatment plant and around a bend to a trail- head marked only by a little sign in Japanese pointing us in the right direction to the Ta-taki Waterfall.  Thanks to Mai for pointing us in the right direction! 

We started our hike following a small river, walking on rocks to try to avoid complete submersion in the frigid water, and we made our way up-river using old ropes and small trails to guide us. 





After about 45 minutes of hiking (frequent stops for pictures was high priority) we heard the waterfall and rounded a corner where it opened up before us. It was amazing and beautiful! 






There were some American boys swinging on a rope and loudly announcing their presence to the world, so after a very brief moment we found a trail off to the left that we decided to explore.  We were excited to discover that the trail took us to the top of the waterfall where we could look down into the pool of water.  By this time the boys had moved on and we were left in peace.  After a snack, dug out of V's backpack of never ending practical surprises, we climbed back down the trail to the base of the falls. 

"Can't feel my legs, but Woohooo!!"

On an adventurous whim....Em and V decided to wade into the freezing waters at the base of the falls for some photo ops and once-in-a-lifetime moments.  Mai laughed and encouraged us, and was photographer for our silly antics.  Surprising even herself, V waded into the 50-degree water (sub-zero if you ask her) and tried hard to get Em to follow.  Being the practical one (and a bit shorter) Em found a rock about thigh level and stayed close for pictures.  Frozen lower extremities did not hamper the fun we had!

 *We would like to thank Jovan at this time for helping find a waterproof case for V's iPhone 6... we have had fun getting it wet and taking all sorts of pics!

Em, Mai and V

Cheeee-zu!

We had such a hard climb up here!

The view from the top

Just chillin' on top of a waterfall

Konnichiwa!!

Konnichiwa!!

Konnichiwa!!

The hike back to the trail-head did not take nearly as long since we were not worried about our shoes getting wet at this point! 







After a quick wardrobe change in the car, off we went to Busena Resort to see if we could experience the underwater observatory. Alas, the tickets were too costly for the amount of time we had - Mai needed to be at the airport soon - so we walked the beach instead and enjoyed a beautiful sunset among friends.

Emily 'patiently' waiting to devour the pizza

We may have enjoyed the sunset for a bit too long... and then lots of traffic on the way to the airport meant - giri giri! (yikes! close call!) .
V was driving like a local in a hurry to try to get Mai to the airport in time!  It was down to the wire, but a sprint to the check-in counter got her there and on the plane before takeoff!  (phew)

Em and V were absolutely famished, and instead of turning on each other in desperation, we decided to stop in American Village where Capriccioso was the lucky first restaurant we came across/had always wanted to try. 

Japanese-Italian was an interesting experience and nothing has ever tasted this good in our entire lives. Pretty sure our poor server was completely astonished by the appetites of these two ravenous gaijin (foreigners) and the pace at which we devoured our three-course meal for two (salad, pasta and their signature pizza).

What an exhausting day, but a great one too!!!