Ryusendo Caves in Iwate pref.

On a hot summer day, it is nice to enjoy the sun but is also good to look for a cool place. I'm the latter, so now, let me introduce you Ryusendo Caves in Iwaizumi town, Iwate prefecture (next to our hometown, Akita). 

See?? It's beautiful, isn't it!? This is one of the 3 major limestone caves of Japan. In the cave, visitors can find 3 underground lakes as above photos at the moment. (The 4th one seems to be under investigation.) The total length of the cave is more than 3 kilometers at present, but is estimated to be over 5 kilometers long! 

Even in the middle of summer, inside of the cave is very cold at about 10 degrees Celsius and you will need to wear a jacket. Also, the floor is slippy! Watch your step not to fall into the water! =D

Outside the Ryusendo Caves has beautiful nature!! Look at these greens and streams!

Whenever I come there, I never get tired of such lovely scenery. Let's feel close to the nature in Ryusendo Caves this summer! 

Driving to the north, Shirakami Mountain Range

On the last weekend, I enjoyed a small trip from my hometown, Akita prefecture, to the north, or Aomori pref. It was a sunny day and perfect for driving. Me and my boyfriend woke up at 7:30a.m. on Saturday and had been driving for about 8 hours!

I took the above photo at a parking area of highway on the way to our destination. Skies were sunny without a cloud! 

We fully enjoyed the nature of Shirakami Mountain Range, the world heritage located between Akita and Aomori pref. It was so green!! (The photo was taken in my car, so it's not clear very much... sorry!)

This is Anmon-no-Taki (waterfall) in the Shirakami Mountain Range. You can get a special apple ice cream nearby the fall in summer. 

Actually, this photo was taken about 2 years ago. When we went there on the last Saturday, the road was unfortunately closed due to damage by the earthquake on March 11, 2011. Though we could not get closer to the waterfall, we still enjoyed the nature and ice cream around there. =)

After that, we kept driving to Hachinohe City, Aomori, that is a port town with fresh seafood. We had tasty Sushi and relaxed in Onsen (hot spring) at night. Well, it was a great trip... Guys! Why not taking a long drive sometimes? ;)