We had decided to go back in the rotemburo before breakfast, with Emily too this time. It was too hot for her, but she was happy enough sitting on my lap with just her feet in the water, though I did drape a towel round her to save her from the frosty morning air. In daylight the view was equally as fantastic as the night before: shafts of sunlight were streaming through notches in the mountains onto the rice paddies in the misty valley below. A cloud bank smothered the very tops of the mountains to the south. I wish every bath I took could be so picturesque!
The buffet breakfast was OK and filling, but I have had much better. It didn't help that the dining room was hideously hot, what with the heating working overtime and the powerful sunshine penetrating the blinds. We were thankful to stumble out into the fresh air and potter in the garden, enjoying the vibrant red foliage of a couple of small trees.
We were soon packed and on our way. We drove 10km up a side valley to Daigenta Canyon. Here we found a small lake formed behind a small dam, nestling in a pretty valley with lingering remnants of autumn glory.
We walked down a path to the water's edge and spotted some small fish. Emily enjoyed the sensation of some green slime she picked up in the stream.
Dozens of small beige butterflies fluttered up from the leaf litter to mingle with falling leaves dislodged by the gentle breeze. There was a path that lead up the small cliff next to the lake and back down to its other end, through a beautiful wood of maple and cherry trees.
At the other end was a bridge above the dam, and we found that there were thousands of fish milling there in the sunshine. A handful of very large ones, perhaps two feet long, were almost herding the tiddlers in shoals that moved as one.
We drove back down into Yuzawa and dropped off the car. We soon found a great place for lunch, Muran Gozzo. Despite Emily's presence, it was quite a lingering affair with five delicious courses of beautifully-presented dishes, mainly using local fare. It was quite full so we had to sit at the counter, but that was fine anyway as we could watch the sous chef preparing roulades and purin (set custards). Emily was not very interested in her huge kid's meal of homemade burger, chips, rice and veg, but was content to graze on our food. She was rather worn out and seemed to want to sleep on our laps at one point but soon perked up again. Nick and I felt quite drowsy ourselves, after two generously-poured glasses of the local Hakkaisan sake.
Along the street was a free outdoor foot bath, taking advantage of a geothermal upwelling in the town, and we all soaked our feet for a while.
As the sun was beginning its long slide to the horizon we made our way to the station, pausing to admire some sheafs of rice hung out to dry.
We were soon boarding the double decker Max Toki train that would whisk us back to Tokyo station in only 80 minutes. The first half of the ride was all in tunnels, but as we emerged onto the Kanto plain we were greeted by a lovely sunset, and even Fuji-san silhouetted in the dying light.
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