4 September 08

Emily woke at 5. Nick and I were totally exhausted despite getting at least 6 hours sleep, so after a while we managed to get her back off and we all napped until Pam knocked for us to go down to breakfast. It was a typical Japanese meal with fish, raw egg and natto (smelly fermented soya beans). I had never actually got the courage up to taste natto before, and found them to be tolerable with a good slathering of mustard and soy sauce, washed down with plenty of bland rice.

It was only a five minute walk to the excellent visitor centre (the inn owner had said it was a five minute drive, and that most Japanese people would take the car there!). From there we set off on the Goshikinuma Five Ponds trail. Theh first one was big enough to deserve to be labelled a lake, and was a lovely blue colour.

It was stocked with carp and there were some ducks pottering around the edge.

The path was through woodland all the way, and surpisingly rough under foot for Japan. We saw many fungi and a few frogs. The next pond was green, followed by a red one (possibly caused by oxidisation).

Nick had Emily in the backpack carrier and she dropped off, lolling right over on one side uncomfortably. We stopped to swap her over to Kate for the final part of the trail, and saw one woman touching up her make-up; a most incongruous sight in the middle of a woodland walk.

The modern eating and shopping centre at the end of the route was very good with fabulous changing/nursing facilities. Emily had tasteless powdered fish and veg slop, poor thing. Graham, ever adventurous, washed down his meal with a tomato sorbet: though sweetened it definitely tasted of tomato and had the seeds to prove it.


Across the road we found that we were on the shore of Lake Hibara. We booked onto a short boat trip on a very big pleasure boat where there were only two other customers. We really enjoyed the scenes from the water, especially as a completely clear Bandai-san came into view. The lake was dotted with many small, pictureque islands and surrounded by woodland and hills. It was formed when the mountain erupted and blocked a river, drowning a town with 500 lives lost.


Having gone ashore, Graham was glad to find an opportunity to take his first trip in a speedboat, so they all took a 20 minute ride in one while I fed Emily.

We walked back for an hour to the inn by road. Dinner was another feast. I ate sashimi (raw) tuna and scallops, but baulked at a king prawn. Nick was a bit fed up with all of us being fussy about food, but it is such alien cuisine and I think we are more adventurous than most people. Again, we were happy to go to bed about 9.30, Nick and I having dipped in the communal bath. Though I am not shy about nudity, I was glad to have it to myself. It is easier to be naked in front of strangers than people you know.