The Akui Gawa and Typhoon Aftermath

Just below our lodgings known as The Commons is the Akui Gawa (gawa means river). It winds all over the place with multiple tributaries and as we are discovering, lots of swimming holes. Shades of my own growing up years in Birmingham, AL, I was very much reminded of a place on the Little Cahaba River we all called Too High. My close circle of friends at John Carroll High School will remember this spot. A broad, flat area for picnicking and hanging out, the swimming hole there was always chilly and appeared endlessly deep. Even in the heat of summer one could always find relief from the southern inferno. The river at Too High had a stronger current than the Akui Gawa where we’ve been swimming the hot hot days, but it did not have the out-croppings of boulders for cannon balling off of like you see here. Aza is a strong swimmer and rarely needs a life vest, but has an adult eye on her at all times. As you can see, her papa becomes just like one of the kids…and the rest of us as well!









BUT, having caught the edges of the typhoon everyone was hearing about on the news, we had some torrential rains and strong winds. What remained when we walked into town to explore while parents worked and Aza was at school, is depicted below.



Akui Gawa, the same river we were swimming in, the first day after the storm. Notice how there is no runoff as the river roars.



Two days after the storm and the volume in this tributary has already diminished significantly. Much flattened vegetation.



Next Post: Exploring a Bit of Kamiyama






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