Switching on the box, we found that the airwaves were full of the resignation of Prime Minister Fukuda. He has only been in power for a year and is just not a strong enough character to represent Japan internationally, I feel. At the recent G8 summit in Hokkaido he appeared far too humble around the other leaders. The ultimate grey politician, compared to him John Major seems charismatic and colourful!
It was a bit grey and there was some drizzle in the air, as we made the short drive to Ryuzu (Dragon's Head) Falls. I had been looking forward to getting behind the wheel again after 6 months without a car and the automatic people carrier was really easy to handle, the roads lovely and quiet. When she saw the cascades of water tumbling over a 200m stretch of bedrock, Emily got really excited and kicked her legs a lot.
The surrounding area was deciduous woodland with a carpet of low bamboo. It is inhabited by deer, though we didn't manage to spot any. As it was approaching Emily's lunchtime, I suggested that Nick take us back to the hotel while the others continued walking up the waterside path, then he would return to collect them and take them for lunch in the town.
Emily and I hooked up with the others and we walked together to Kegon Falls. This was totally different to Ryuzu: a single long waterfall plummeting 97 metres. The stats said that there was currently 3 tonnes a second making the plunge - twice the usual level, so we picked a good time to see it. There was an elevator down through the rock to a cold, damp viewing area beset by spray.
There being quite a bit of afternoon left, we passed under a giant red torii and strolled along the south shore of the lake, admiring the stunning views of hazy blue hills all round the water.
There are so many that I wonder if some of them have ever felt the tread of human feet. Lots of opportunity for the amateur photographer. The nearby mountain, Nantai-san, shrugged off its cloudy mantle obligingly too.
There were several little jetties out into the lake, some with sad-looking swan pedalos.
It was hard to remember that this is a major tourist venue that sees millions of visitors a year, though most come at specific times like autumn leaf season. Even more pathetic were the dusty old souvenir shops further along away from town. I can't imagine how they make enough to survive.
At dinner, Nick pointed out an animal climbing a tree outside the window. It could have been a large cat, but something about its bushy tail and the way it scampered straight up the trunk made us wonder if it was a raccoon.
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