Sunday

This is the second half of the post from way back in November here, which you should probably review so that this one makes sense. I'll leave this post here for a bit, then put it back in chronological order.

We still had another day of fun on Sunday before taking the train back home. We wanted to go to the Lupicia tea room for breakfast, but they weren't open yet, so got breakfast from another small shop before shopping at Lupicia for delicious teas. I got a giant M&M's covered cookie and a Chai, which I proceeded to combine:

There were unforeseen difficulties

After my somewhat decadent breakfast, we went to Minoh, a place famous for its fall foliage and its consumption of said foliage, fried. Apparently Americans were not the first to deep-fry everything, we just choose the most fat-laden things to dunk. Here, they go with maple leaves:

To enjoy the foliage, you walk down a path from the station that is lined with touristy shops and stalls selling anything from venison to those deep fried leaves to candy and beer. We purchased most of the above and enjoyed our day in the crisp fall air. I even got some nice pictures of a sweater I'd recently finished knitting:

Another draw for this area is the waterfall, the goal at the end of the stall-lined walkway.  The waterfall is pretty nice, but as you can see, THE place to be in the fall, at least around here:

A picturesque place, for sure. We were a couple of weeks early for the real fall colors around the waterfall, but it was a nice side trip. There are also signs saying to watch out for the monkeys, who apparently populate the area. Sadly, we didn't get to see any along the path, but I got a lollipop with a monkey on it anyway:

We finished up the day with a trip to a brewery near Minoh, very tasty beers:

There was some Weitzner on tap, and it was delicious. This place is kind of out in the middle of nowhere, but is a really cool little brewery that seems to be family run and sells its product to local liquor stores. I would enjoy going back there, if I were in Osaka with some free time again.

This was followed by a dinner where no pictures were allowed. Seriously. I'd've taken a picture of the sign, but, well, obviously. Thus ends my excellent trip with my friends to see some Japanese women in drag.