You can see the lights of Chichibu, a city in the mountains northwest of Tokyo, in the background of this picture. Our room overlooked the city, and so do the outdoor hot springs perched high on the cliffs. We were there for a night during Christmas break to enjoy being together, yet one of us has to soak all on his own in a separate hot spring. Still, it's enjoyable and invigorating to be in freezing temperatures outdoors and up to your neck in hot water, while hearing the rest of the family enjoying themselves on the other side of the wall in the adjacent hot spring.
If you follow Heather's blog, you've already seen these pictures. I'm borrowing them, and you'll see a link to her blog at the top right of this blog, so this is like an ad for her blog and its excellent photography. While the mountains were scenic, the one and only road out was blocked by a collision for two hours, and we had no way out, and an event to attend that evening. That's life in the mountains, I guess.
Getting into the mountains is like going back in time. So many great scenes to photograph, and so many good pictures taken by Heather.
