We took the Shinkansen with Elli's mum and dad up to Yamagata and picked up a hire car ("the cube") for our next, much more rural bit of exploring and calming down from Tokyo chaos. A very big contrast!
We stayed in a little ski chalet in the woods with its own spring fed bath (with warnings of nearby bears, although to our great disappointment we didn't see any).
Proved an excellent base for a few days exploring the area, including a hike up the nearby volcano and to the impressively/revoltingly eggy town at Zao Onsen as well as a few days of sitting inside while it rained through a gloriously green forest and drinking sake in the bath.もっと詳しく
日本Aone-onsen38°9’24” N 140°33’6” E
日本Aone-onsen38°9’24” N 140°33’6” E