201 Torii Gates

We had a lovely 4-day weekend over the 4th and I thought for sure we would go out of town. We ended up staying around the base but went for an amazing day trip to Takayama Inari Shrine in Tsugaru City, also known as 100 torii gates although it's actually 201. Misawa is on the East coast of the island and Tsugaru is on the West coast, so it was almost two and a half hours in the car, but worth it.

Summer means late nights for these two.

Arriving at the shrine.

It was overcast but warm and getting pretty humid.

I'm a bit obsessed with all the hydrangeas around. The blues and purples are the most amazing colors.

These day trips have become my favorite even though the kids could do without the drives. It's amazing to see new things all the time and experience a culture so rich.