Noboribetsu

Not a hotel breakfast today - down the street we try out some late morning shrimp tempura with hot soba, another oishi event.

With full bellies, we start our hike of the hot spring's sights...

Greeting mythical creatures of the underworld...Gerri missed the memo about wearing the red shirt.

It's like a smaller scale version of Yellowstone National Park.

There's some up to do, and then some down...

A warm creek flows out of the lake...

...warm enough to soak your feets...

There's some fine strolling to be had here...

We follow a father-son pair from Israel up the slope.

And spy a large onsen (natural waters from a hot spring feed a resort spa) through the foliage...

Now having returned to Noboribetsu, dodging the 10-wheeled town transport, for one last sight...

...we see the animated 'Jekyll and Hyde' dude do his thing with eerie music just down from our hotel - some underworld incarnation from the geothermal deep Earth vents, ooh, scary.

Eggplant pizza for dinner tonight, followed by a trip to the onsen (hot spring spa and pool room).