20 November 2010

Freed from the shackles of Nick's study, we were able to take an impromptu weekend trip to the mountains. Jo had passed on the name of a hotel someone had recommended in Echigo Yuzawa, Niigata prefecture, so we took a chance on the tip and set off there mid-morning. The Joetsu shinkansen only takes 80 minutes to whisk passengers 200km into the heart of mountain country. It was spectacularly expensive to build the line to Niigata as it comprises a series of extremely long tunnels - so much so that it is said it will never become profitable. Mind you, even though there was no snow for winter sports our train was full, so clearly there is demand for the service despite the area itself being sparsely populated.

On arrival we had a decent lunch of soba noodles and tempura at a restaurant in the smart station, then went to pick up our hire car. Emily seemed very groggy so I was convinced that she would sleep as we drove to the ropeway at Hakkaisan that we wanted to ride, an hour from the town, but she would not give in to slumber. She soon perked up when we got out

having fun roaming about the grassy area around the ropeway station (which would normally be a ski slope). There were swing chairs, loungers and even a hammock, so we tried them all out and enjoyed the clean air, tranquility and mountain views while we waited for the next gondola to depart.

At the top of the 2km-long cable, the upper station had some patches of snow scattered about and we added to the collection of small snowmen.

On a low ridge behind the building we climbed a small tower that afforded glorious 360 degree views, though as the sun was getting low by then it was quite hazy.

After a snack and a snowball fight we headed back down to the bottom.

At the end of the hour-long drive back down the valley it was dark but the hotel was easy to find thanks to satnav, being perched up on the side of a mountain at the top of a switch back road 10 minutes from the town. The hotel was pleasant and our room a reasonable size and equipped with three single beds and a sofa. Our window gave onto a piste and a chairlift. We must return in ski season as the hotel is ski-in, ski-out and the angle of the slopes around look achievable for a scaredy-cat like me.

Nick and I were presented with a five course dinner and Emily happily munched on pouches of beans, sweetcorn and olives while we tucked in. Apart from us the other guests seemed to be exclusively students. The reason for this became apparent when we explored the corridors to discover about ten music studios. Being sound-proofed they was not a cause for concern for the prospects of a good night's sleep. Emily was whacked and soon dropped off. We went back up to the lounge and had a couple of glasses of wine/beer, then visited the rotemburo. I've been in a few, but this outdoor hot tub was lovely; a cypress wood bath big enough for about 10 people (which I had all to myself) set in a bed of raked gravel and with fine views over the valley below and across to the mountains opposite. The only shame was that being segregated Nick and I could not enjoy it together, each lying in our own baths divided by a high wooden fence, but both with the same view at least. We were back in the room and fast asleep before eleven.

I heard from Jo that Bettina had delivered the baby in the small hours, after a relatively short labour. Welcome Samuel Oscar Horne!