A Walk In the Woods

View from our balcony

We awoke in our rather salubrious hotel in Kinugawaonsen Hotel to the gentle pitter patter of moisture on our balcony. But, the day can’t be lost so we headed off in our raincoats, their second outing of our tour. We rode the train back to Nikko, a UNESCO World Heritage site town with a number of temples and shrines. These people aren’t very religious and we don’t hear church bells or the calling of the imam but they are very honest, polite and trustworthy. We resorted to hunting for geocaches among the temples and avoided paying entrance fees at almost every turn. I posed in front of the Shinkyo Bridge, about 250 years old as are the temples, with the obligatory Japanese finger salute. Not our best day out but we must never let a chance go by.

 Been said before I know but our second full day at Nikko dawned fine and clear with a 2% chance of rain. We headed up the valley to a small lake, Lake Yumoto. At 5000 feet above sea level this would put us a good way up Mt Egmont (8260 feet asl). The higher altitude had obviously brought on a few more frosts and the trees were turning their autumn colours and really looked picturesque, biscuit tin lids and calendars everywhere. We took a hundred photos I’m sure, it really was a delight. 

This walk was most unlike our last walk in Japan where we wandered along a 600 year old passage between two cities. This was Tongariro crossing stuff (not that we have done that and not that this was at the same altitude) but it was more in the wilds. A few others walking, far more puffing than us and very few birds and one monkey were all we saw of wildlife. I had hoped to see a herd of Sika deer which are becoming a pest due to high numbers. The forest is mostly deciduous trees of beech and oak with a few evergreen fir and thuja for contrast. I did spot a few silver birch trees which I dislike because they look so cold and deathly during winter when their foliage has all dropped. We did see rhododendron growing wild and it would have had white flowers if we had been here a few months sooner. 

While it was an 8 hour adventure half of that was taken up travelling in buses or trains or waiting for said vehicles. But it was a beaut day out. The road near the lake split into two roads - one way 2 lanes up and one way down. We thought the way up was pretty steep but the way down was unbelievable. 48 fairly short switchbacks big enough for 40 seater buses. It was pretty amazing and a very busy up and back tourist route.

4 hours of walking but 4 hours of buses and trains!

Back home to our fairly luxurious hotel the onsen beckoned as a means to alleviate the aching muscles (what few of them we have). I tried a quick rum but that didn’t really make any difference so down to the onsen we both went, Diana through the pink curtain, me through the blue. I’m feeling reasonably confident now in my nakedity so strip off, wash down at the milking station and head for the outdoor hot tub. Whoa..!!!, there are over a dozen men in here and I note a sidelong glance from each of them. I’m feeling like a polar bear in Soweto as I climb gingerly into the hot water and try to make myself as inconspicuous as possible. Not easy, there is a lot of chatter and I am presuming it is something to do with the size of my pecker or the fact that I’m circumcised. The polar bear has a sunburnt face but at least I am in the water now. What are they talking about, I smile and gesture as politely as possible and am very pleased when most of them leave within a few minutes. I am sure they aren’t talking about me personally as we are all on the same level in our birthday suits and what you got is what you have…men don’t do botox do they?

So an hour in the onsen and then dinner at the buffet station finished a perfect day out.