The rain is gone, and in the morning, we spend a little time in the village to get a bit of an impression that we missed the day before. A foot-onsen along the river is one of the many nice details that this village has, and it is almost a pity we have to leave so soon again.
Our drive up brings us once more along one of those excellent skylines, and with a rather large grin on my face, we end up at a parking spot halfway along the skyline. The clouds have been hanging low in the morning, but it seems that finally the sun is breaking them up, and as we wait a little while around the viewpoint, we suddenly get a very nice view over the valley below, with a large lake.
On the other side, however, the clouds seem a little more persistent, and although a very vague outline is visible, mount Fuji remains hidden. We get up on our bikes, and as we drive further along the road, even more sunlight breaks through, until we finally manage to get some pictures of Japan's signature mountain.
As we continue our drive up towards the foot of Fuji, which we will be circling clockwise to end up at our hotel, we come across Taiseki-ji, a temple complex that almost looks like a resort. Apparently, many pilgrims come here to follow courses and teachings, and although the buildings are nice, they are mainly large. This isn't the antique style you see around Kamakura and Nikko.
The next stop brings us to the Shiraito falls, where the parking attendant waves us in to a nice parking spot. Barely have we parked our bikes, or we are motioned over by him, and instead of guarding the parking lot, he brings us over to a nice spot (closed off by a rope with a warning sign) where we get a unique view of the falls.
The last stop we make before we drive over to the hotel is the ice cave, where a hole in the ground has trapped the snow and keeps it frozen over the year. In the past, blocks of ice were taken from this cave to people who needed refrigeration, now it is place where tourists can crawl around through the sometimes rather cramped spaces, and see some truly marvellous ice structures. We end the day at one of the lakes surrounding mount Fuji, where we have a nice hotel room with an excellent onsen, including an outdoor bath.