Happy Halloween!

This weekend was one filled with costume parties, 温泉, and falling leaves.  Friday night the school held a costume party where the costumes ranged from animals, to celebrities, to cartoon characters.  A good time was had by all.  In the spirit of Halloween I of course dressed appropriately, and while my costume resources were limited, I decided to run with the tried and true Greek look.

The next morning I woke up early to catch a bus trip to Yuzawa-shi where we went to see a very unique river valley, Oyasukyo Gorge.  The area is full of thermal activity, making for some famous 温泉 (on-sen) and the changing colors of the leaves made for some beautiful scenery.  Upon arrival, we hiked down into the river valley where hot springs and thermal vents filled the area with steam.  Further up the river gorge were some incredible waterfalls and rapids.  While the river would certainly be comfortable to swim in, floating down it may prove to be more of a risk.

The sunny weather made for some wonderful pictures and after exploring the area for a few hours we all gathered to eat lunch at the base of nearby a ski resort.  The area has yet to receive any snow, but it will be in the forecast soon!  Though we weren't able to ski back down the hill, a group of friends and I decided to dash up the mountain and take a few photos before heading out.