Little Niagara Falls and Japan Alps

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Somewhere in the Northern Honshu Mountains, we came across this awesome little plunge hole waterfall. It looked like someone pulled a cork out of the river and the water went swirling down a drain, a most unusual waterfall.

It was called Litte Niagara Fall since the river breaks around a little rock just like Niagara Falls splits around Goat Island. It's stretching the analogy but none the less, a cool little freak of nature.

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Looking up river toward a bridge. The river plunging
into a hole in foreground.

The waterfall splits into two falls and drops into deep plunge hole.
Thus the analogy to Niagara Falls.

Click on pic

Another view of the falls plunging into a black hole

From the City of Matsumoto, Herb, Jay and I took a bus to Kamikochi to see the Japan Alps.

The timing couldn't have been any better since we caught the peak of the autumn colors in the mountains. We spent one night in a alpine hotel and went on a couple short hikes.

I lucked out and got a seat right behind the bus driver. I took a few shots out the front window of the changing colors on the drive up into the Alps.

Entering one of many tunnels on the drive up.

At a higher elevation, driving through a forest of bare birch trees

Arriving in the Kamikochi Valley in the heart of the Alps.
Hodaka Mountain range (6,500-10,000') and Taisho Pond.

Beautiful hiking paths follow the river on both sides

A couple neat pedistrian bridges crossing a river in the valley

The cedar trees turning brilliant yellow was stunning and an unexpected surprise.

The first dusting of snow of the season. Note the sprinkling of yellow cedar trees in the mountain-side.

The visitor center in the small alpine village of Kamikochi

Our hotel had a toasty little coffeehouse with a great view of the river and mountains

A view of the glacier field at the end of the valley