We take a bus day-trip out of Nikko today for some more hiking adventure and to see water falling.
We're just in time to catch the next bus and lucky to get seats together for the hour and ten minute ride.
| You meet the most interesting cat people on the bus - okay, we really didn't 'meet' him, but the cat shirt is awesome.  |  This part of the ride up is sure a lot of twisties, and the driver possibly drives the Formula 1 Bus races on the weekends - oh crap, today is Saturday, the race must be on. (we travelled the squiggely yellow road - Google has a quirk sometimes where the route gets shown as a "bypass"). |
Despite the driver's best efforts, we succeed in getting to the start of the hike.
There are many fine hikes here, we're taking the one from between the big lake and the red square, up along the river and the moor (wetland) going northwest (note map is turned on its side), to just before the smaller lake. After than we'll catch a bus all the way back to Nikko from there.
Ryuzu Falls is encountered early on - although we'd call it more like a cascade, it's very nice all the same.
It's starting to rain steady, luckily lightly, but the trail is getting a bit sloppy - we press on.
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Good to know...
The trail is a whole lot less sloppy here, as we approach the moor (wetland).
The atmosphere is a bit thick, but we can still see some of the sights provided by the mountains.
Getting closer...
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Yes, water is falling here, but it's no water fall or even a cascade for that matter.
Boy, this free umbrella given to us by the doorman in Kagoshima some weeks ago is sure getting used today. Gerri preferred her rain jacket however, 'forest hikers don't carry umbrellas'.
We got the bear warning, but Loch Nessie's, there was no mention of those (or Stream Nessie's in this case).
Mmmmmmkay, a detour here from the "All Trails" route on the I-phone we're following, but the original trail is apparently blown out by erosion. And, we're back to the sloppy trail, but it's not really too bad at all.
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Must be a bear concentration nearby, they provide a hefty bell to warn them before you might blunder into one or more - we gave it a strong gonging; hmmmm, not sure, but maybe the bridge crossing will head them off, but probably only if you can run faster across it than the other hikers. Alas, there were no bear sightings today.
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Ah, the more preferred version of water falling. "The Kotaki Waterfall (or Nikko Kotaki to distinguish it from other “small waterfalls”) is a diminutive companion to the impressive Yudaki Waterfall further upstream."
Going up...
Any luck today? No? Maybe why the bears are elsewhere today.
A two-tracker here...
Yudaki Waterfall - our goal for the hike today.
Mmmmm, nearby the waterfall, toasted rice balls - the sauce was especially good - a sweet miso.
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This signage was perfectly placed to zig-zag us from the little visitors center to where we need to catch our bus.
Hang on to yer seat, we're taking the F-1 Bus straight (not so much really) to the finish line - aaaahhhhhh!
Back in Nikko, we hop off before the point where we hopped on - Gerri has found a last minute site of interest.
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There are a lot of Buddhas sitting here along the stream.
... a lot.
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Here's a nicely focussed photo of the fireworks along the river we caught on the walk back to our lodging.
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