Whilst Michael was out jogging, I watched a couple of very moving and informative documentaries on the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Even if you have never been to Hiroshima, I think they are worth watching. It is part of the world's history of which we should all be aware. I became aware of the first one when I saw a man seated near the A-bomb dome, surrounded by folders of information and display stands. I read that he had been featured in a short documentary, along with his 98-year-old mother who was 4 months pregnant with him when the bomb was dropped. I sat down on a stool and flicked through the pages of one of the folders - at some stage, I will visit his website for more information.

I can't access YouTube at the moment (I could yesterday, but it appears blocked today!), and so I can't post the link to the above-mentioned 20-minute documentary, but you can look it up by searching 'THAT DAY - A SURVIVOR'S STORY'.

The second documentary I watched can be accessed by clicking on the following link: https://youtu.be/VXpFgjBHaNE

After Michael returned from his run, we went downstairs for breakfast.  Still unable to stomach a traditional Japanese breakfast, other than a bowl of Miso soup (I think that's what it was), I mostly stuck to fruit salad and yoghurt and a small pastry.  I thought of Mum when I noticed that cornflakes was an option - I can certainly appreciate her delight in seeing them on offer during her 1980 trip here with Dad! (She was apparently so excited about the cornflakes that she didn't notice the spectacular view of Mt Fuji through the window!)

Michael had made our plans for the day, determining that we would catch the 11:22 train to Yufuin in the mountains. Perhaps it would be a little cooler up there! Despite trying to complete my blog, I just didn't get all the photos uploaded in time, as we had to rush off to get to the station in time. It's only a 10-minute walk from here, mostly through a couple of covered shopping malls. 

We were soon chugging uphill in a single carriage train. Suburbia gave way to open fields of rice and the occasional collection of glass houses (or were they made of plastic?). The best scenes were of the river flowing through the lush green valleys - I tried to capture them with my camera, but often we passed by them so quickly, or a tree would block the view at the second I pressed the shutter button! The trip took about an hour. We stepped out of our air-conditioned train, hoping to experience the cool of the mountains. Alas! It was still hot and humid! The helpful tourist information guide provided us with a map and a couple of suggested destinations, the first being a visit to one of the local bathhouses, this area being well known for its thermal waters. In fact, we could see steam puffing out of the ground in various spots within or close to the town.

A twenty-minutes walk brought us to the recommended bathhouse where we purchased our tickets (700 yen each - about $9 each). The woman at the entrance showed us a notice explaining that it was not possible to reserve one of the 'family baths'. We could see on the diagram that there were male and female baths, but hoped that we'd be able to go to the 'family baths' together. We soon discovered that the family baths were in fact small baths for the exclusive use of one family at a time. Once you entered, you turned the vacant sign on the door around to 'occupied' and could then stay there for as long as you wished. The two outside family baths were occupied, and so we opted for the only vacant indoor bath. We removed our shoes (after a young boy pointed out to Michael that we should already have done so before stepping through the door on to the timber floor!), closed the door and peeled off our sweaty clothes. We washed ourselves under the shower hoses next to the small pool and then entered the HOT water! It was not at all refreshing! I imagine that it would have been glorious, if it were freezing cold outside.

We half dressed, and wandered down the pebbled path to the outside family baths, hoping one might now be free. As they were both still occupied, we bravely departed company and went to the baths reserved for our particular genders. Inside the door, I figured that I needed to remove my shoes and place them in a locker. I took the square timber 'key' with me into the next area - a large change room with more lockers. I deposited everything I had with me into this locker, taking the key and looping the band around my wrist. Stark naked, I then took a shower before moving outside where there was a large, shallow pool of HOT water. In the background was the volcano, Mt Yufu. I would have loved to have taken a photo to show you, but understandably no photography was permitted! There were three rather voluptuous young Japanese girls seated near the pool (( was relieved, as most young Japanese women are very slender!). I 'swam' a little, walked around the pool, sat for a while, and then made my way back to the showers to cool down. Once dressed, I had to go to the toilet. By now, quite a number of girls had arrived, and I noticed one of them come out of the toilet, stepping backwards out of a pair of timber thongs that were left just inside the toilet cubicle. (Our shoes were still in the outer lockers.) I then stepped into the thongs to use the loo, and then likewise stepped backwards out of them as I departed. Shoes back on, I met Michael outside. His pool hadn't had as nice a view, and had been full of about 20 young Japanese men. It's a bit lonely when you go into these sorts of places by yourself!

Just as we were about to move on, the rain came pouring down. We sheltered under a roof in the resort area (the baths seemed to be connected to a hotel) for about 15 minutes until the rain had eased, and then continued on our way. For a while, the air felt so much cooler, but it soon warmed up again. Along the way, we detoured up a pathetic that led to a small shrine nestled between two particularly large trees. The mozzies started to appear, and so we quickly moved on, heading back towards a small river along which ran a path that we were to follow to visit a lake. It was not long before the clouds had cleared and the sun was blazing down on us again.

The lake could have been magnificent, with the mountain of lush green growth in the backdrop. However, a particularly ugly large building was situated right on the water's edge, an unsightly pipe traversed the centre of the lake (near the surface), and on one side were a couple of algae-filled shallow pools (clearly no longer in use). We wandered around the circumference of the lake (behind the buildings), taking a few photos along the way, and then began walking back along the road on the other side of the river. The sight of a thick cloud of steam drew us off the tourist track and a short way up the mountain, past some small rice paddies and market gardens (more glasshouses), and through a thickly forested area. Unfortunately, the track bypassed the source of the steam - there didn't actually appear to be any way of getting close to it. And so we descended the hill again, making our way back to the tourist area - streets of souvenir shops, including a replica of a miniature English village (selling Beatrix Potter-related items!). We made it back to the railway station in time to catch the 4:48pm train back to Oita - this time a more comfortable train with two long carriages. We chose seats on the 'valley side' of the train, but ended up having to move when the woman who sat in front of us kindly pulled the blind almost all the way down! (I had put it up when we sat down, and she'd come on after us!) Fortunately, there were plenty of seats to choose from, unlike the ride up in the small one-carriage train.

Instead of heading straight back to our hotel, Michael thought it might be fun to climb a hill over-looking the city. (Luckily, I had my hiking stick with me!) Our attempt to reach the top was blocked by a few dead ends, and so we gave up and headed back down the hill and back towards the hotel, buying some takeaway food on the way. By now, I was really dragging my heels and not feeling too flash (my legs felt itchy/stingy and I was a little shivery). I had heat rash (miliaria) all over my lower legs and the fronts of my thighs. After dinner and a warm shower, I climbed in to bed with my iPad. Michael soon followed.