Waterfall revisited

Ardent readers will remember our summer guests going bonkers at the nearby waterfall. We revisited the place this weekend.

Leaves are already past prime

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A steep rock face lines the path; it takes about 10 minutes to walk up.

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From 20070915

I will come back to see it frozen.

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From 20070915

Falcon Attack

Wildlife is nice. As long as it behaves reasonable. Unfortunately one inconsiderate specimen - and honestly speaking a rather foolish one - decided he doesn't like our house.
While Hiro-san worked nearby, a sudden bang as loud as a gunshot made him duck. He found that a falcon broke our kitchen window...

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After ejecting this juvenile delinquent, he fixed the window provisionally until its replaced, and cleared up the debris.

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Exploring the Nakasendo

The Nakasendo is one of the main roads of old Japan. Those of you who have looked us up on the map, may have noticed that Arisaka is very close to this road. Just driving about 15 minutes down the road, you can find a village with many old houses from that era.

This building used to be a Ryokan for special guests who travelled the Nakasendo. Daimyo (local nobles) has to travel to Edo every few years to show their loyalty. On their way they staid in this nicely restored house.

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Another restored house nearby harbours a country side restaurant: Kaa-san's.

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We enjoyed tasty and fresh Inaka-soba, together with sansei forest vegetables.

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This lady runs the place:

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Travelling a bit higher we found snow left over. The ski-season starts only end of December, but the road already required winter tires further up.

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Retro Style Music

Our living room provides an excellent space for listening to music. But most amplifier and sound systems have a rather clinical and cold digital sound. We have now installed a Hifi set that will satisfy even distinguishing guests with wonderful warm analogue sound:

Analogue valve type amplifier - It takes a few seconds until the valves heat up, and glow. The reward of patience is a fantastic sound with volume and depth.

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Second, a turntable to play vinyl records. The analogue nature of these recordings create a much more accurate reproduction of the original recording than modern CD players can do. This machine, despite being built in 1980, can effortlessly compete with modern equipment !

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