long as we found the path down and set off. The only thing we had to look out for was bears which were apparently residents in the forest and got a little bit grumpy if they got disturbed, thankfully we didn’t run into any so all was good. We stopped off at the local shop to stock up on a few food goodies as we figured it would be worthwhile buying some butty stuff for our long train journey the next day.

After we took the shopping back to our room we figured we should go out and eat due to the lack of restaurants and early closing times of the local cafes. We found a great little place which did veggie stuff so we had a noodle soup and rice dish both were scrumptious and very welcome as we were starving by this point, you tend to forget how much more you can eat when its cold! Any excuse!!! With full tums we headed back to the hotel for a chill and a Japanese

bath.

We were both looking forward to the Japanese bath, as the hotel wasn’t full and we guessed we’d have the baths to ourselves. Now there is a list of strict bathing rules so after studying them off we went, but before we left our hotel room we changed into the traditional Japanese robes which were provided. Wow they were ace! A bit too complicated for sleeping in but handy for the baths! I have to say this bath was probably the best bath I have ever had, it was a real treat. Now the thing with these baths are that you have separate ones for males and females and the idea is that you wash and shower before getting in, then soak in the very warm waters. They are separate as you’re not allowed to be clothed in any way, and you must have had at least one complete wash and hair wash first, as everybody bathes in the same water. The bathing room was fabulous, like a large sized bathroom, tiled with lovely little rustic mosaic tiles and silver