The morning began with full sunshine for Michael's jog, but by the time we went to breakfast, it was overcast and raining. The rain continued on and off for a few hours, and so we happily stayed in our room, entertained by our iPads - I finished uploading photos to my blog whilst Michael read the news. 

Around midday, the sky started to clear, and so we crossed the road to the railway station where the tourist information officer advised us where we could find an ATM that would accept cards from overseas . It was located only minutes away at the other train station. It took a few tries to access cash, as we had less remaining on the card than we'd anticipated, having used it as a credit card on several occasions. With the equivalent of just over $100 in hand, we were finally able to purchase our 2-day bus passes, even though we only had the one day left!

The trip up the winding road through the mountains to Lake Chujenzi took about 50 minutes. We travelled through dense forest area, passing picturesque water falls and valleys. One poor fellow must have taken the hairpin bend a little too fast - we saw his car crashed into a tree on the side of the road. He was on his mobile phone, probably calling for assistance. The 2-laned road was one-way, with the road back descending on the side of the valley - a sensible idea, given all the twists and turns on the road. At least the young man didn't have to worry about cars coming the other way - his car was protruding out into one of the lanes .

I rang the bell after Stop 23, having been advised to get out at Stop 24. We alighted and then noticed that the stop was numbered 55 (or a number close to that). Fortunately, we saw the bus pull up just a short distance on - clearly Stop 24! Kegon Falls is located only 5 minutes walk from here. It is certainly an impressive waterfall, tumbling 97 metres to the floor of the valley. The highest waterfall in Japan was formed 20,000 years ago by the eruption of Mt Nantai. I read that, in 1903, a 16-year-old boy committed suicide by throwing himself over the falls. Before doing so, he carved a romantic poem into the trunk of a tree near the top of the falls. There was much publicity about the suicide (he was a university student at a prestigious university), and in the next 10 years, 200 more suicides occurred at Kegon Falls! 

I would have liked to have taken the elevator down 100 metres, and then walked to near the bottom of the falls, but the 550 yen fee per person (over $7) seemed a little excessive, and so we gave it a miss. A light rain fell for a few minutes, but the then the sun reappeared. We wandered down to the lake, about 300m down the road. It was lined with swan-shaped paddle boats in various states of decline. A few were out on the water, but many looked as though they hadn't been used in years. The whole water's edge appeared run-down and in need of attention . It could/should be transformed into a place of beauty, with cafes and gardens, etc. 

Along the way, we noticed another shrine set at the foot of the mountain. Although we have seen enough shrines to last a life time, we thought we'd wander in and have a look. Curiosity drew us to the rear of the shrine, knowing that many have steps or paths leading up the mountains behind them. Sure enough, there were steps leading up this one! Fortunately, I had brought my hiking stick with me! We ventured up a little way, and then asked a man who was descending with his two young daughters how long it would take to get to the top. Four hours up! Six hours return! Forget it! No wonder we had seen some serious looking walkers coming down a little earlier on (wearing hiking boots, backpacks and carrying one or two hiking sticks each)! We went as far as the steps led - to a small shrine. After that, the track clearly became a difficult challenge - we saw a serious group of hikers climbing over large tree roots along the way . Time to turn back.

I haven't mentioned how pleasant the weather was in this area. It was still humid, but so much cooler! It was a pleasant relief.

We continued our walk along the road, stopping to explore a memorial garden where we saw the ruins of a villa that was built in 1893 for a trader. In fact, there were once many villas along this shoreline. It was a popular summer escape for many of the embassadors to Japan.

We walked as far as Stop 29, that being the limit of our bus passes. It started to rain, and so we decided it was time to call it a day, despite there being a 50-minute walk (100 minutes return) next to the water's edge that began at that point. The bus was due in 9 minutes time, and so it seemed like a good idea to catch it.

The descent was much windier than the ascent, with many more hairpin bends as the road wound its way down the steep hill. Apparently, the road drops down 400 metres in the span of just a few kilometres. I managed to take a few photos through the window, capturing the lush forest growth and some of the magnificent valley views.

Back in our hotel room, we devoured the instant noodles Michael had bought the day before; an entree before heading off to find our main meal. We ended up back at the traditional Japanese bar where we had dined on our first evening here. Another Japanese pizza sounded appetising - and that's what we shared (this time with a spicy pork topping), along with some chicken and salad. It was so much cooler outside, I actually needed to wear a cardigan - it was refreshing!