Day 54-56

Day 54

Today was pretty uneventful as we decided to have a relaxed day at the hotel to rest up my ankle and get a bit of energy back for the coming days, spending the morning reading and relaxing with the occasional trip to get ice for my ankle it was a very relaxed start to the day.

Deciding it would be good to walk on it a little to stop it from seizing up we went to visit Iwaya Kannon which is a place of worship at the base of Mt Shinobu and very close to our hotel. There are over 60 Buddhist carvings in the side of the mountain all carved by different generations as a deceleration of faith. It’s pretty hidden away and it’s a bit strange as you can go right up to them and touch them if you wanted to. We obviously didn’t do this but it was protected at all and it’s not really signposted or known about unless you know where to look which is a little bizarre as they are really lovely!

Many are faded a little by the weather but knowing they have been carved as an offering to the gods is quite special and it was a nice way to still get out of the room today without having to stray too far!

Day 55

My ankle was feeling quite a lot stronger today so we decided we would venture out for a day trip to the Goshikiuma ponds. Also known as the “mysterious lakes” it is famous for the emerald green, cobalt blue, turquoise blue, emerald blue, and pastel blue appearance of the different lakes that are completely natural. They were formed from the collapse of the summit of mount Bandai In 1888 due to a steam explosion. The subsequent rock avalanche blocked the river and this led to the formation of lakes in this area and are known for being absolutely stunning.

Despite the drizzle the colours were more vibrant than I was hoping as we were worried that in the rain they wouldn’t be as visible but it was lovely! A really gentle walking path takes you past the main 5 lakes and some of the water was so clear and incredibly colourful! It was really beautiful and we had it completely to ourselves so very special indeed! I was very grateful for the easy trail for my ankle which held up very well!

After returning back to Fukushima city we headed for some ramen for dinner and to our surprise they had an English and a good sense of humour!

Day 56

Another restful day with little to report! We were planning to go to a volcano today but they closed the walking trails due to the winds today! The only other option was to go visit some of the Fukushima disaster sights from the 2011 tsunami that caused the nuclear plant meltdown but this is 4 hours away from where we are and ironically only an hour and a half away from where we are staying next week so we plan to make that day trip then! So a relaxed day or reading and chilling was on the cards today as we leave Fukushima tomorrow to head to Niigata!Läs mer