Nagasawa Falls and Ladders

This post started off on a much more somber tone until I couldn't stand it anymore and disposed of everything I had written. I went to a few random places last month and my blog has been dead despite that.



I like the man riding on a cloud. I didn't notice that till now.



This waterfall is called Nagasawa. It apparently used to be on some list of great waterfalls but the part of the sign proclaiming that has been covered up. I found it odd. I wonder how you get demoted from a list. Geographical dispute?



There was a path that led to a shrine somewhere at the top of the waterfall. A plastic yellow chain hung across the path telling me to not go forward because it was dangerous. Right, you can't fool me Japan. That's merely a suggestion. I didn't want to miss out on something farther up. I trudged up the weedy path until the sign made much more sense.



The steps were completely rusting away.



That didn't matter however. I'm not silly enough to try going up the middle. You just have to climb up the side. The paths in this section were in pretty terrible condition. It's really a gone by era. No one is bothering to fix them up.



Unfortunately you can't see it but there is an interesting shaped opening at the top of the fall. I believe it looks like a heart. The trees did a great job of obstructing it despite how many different angles I tried to view it from. After aimlessly wandering around the broken paths I decided it was time to head for the shrine somewhere above. I was greeted by yet another flight of rusty stairs.



The dilapidated stairs give a feeling of neglect. Well not just a feeling. That is what it is. I like it however. With someone's sweat the stairs went in. With the humid summer air they are torn back down.



Shrines are shrines. Only the most remote tend to be interesting to me. I still appreciate their presence. They are almost always found by waterfalls.



I drove rather far to see the waterfall but found I enjoyed the walk up to the shrine more so than the fall itself. I came back to the car layered in salty sweat. I like summer. My salty lip confirms.