Today was all about a breathtaking mountain — Yōtei-san.  We awoke to mist and fog from our rooms at the Nanokaze Resort but by breakfast time we were treated to a clear blue sky and lake and a majestic snow-covered Fuji-lookalike towering over us all.

Our bus took us first to a vantage point above the lake for views of Yōtei on one side and Tōyako on the other.

About a half hour further on, the bus driver located a prime spot by a river that suited our artists perfectly for some graphite paintings of Yōtei-san.

Plenty of wonderful views of this mountain that kept bringing sighs of amazement from our group.

No doubting whose tour this was:

Yōtei-san is very close to Niseko, the big ski resort of Hokkaidō that attracts hundreds of Australian snow boarders every year.  We saw the slopes, still with ample snow in May, but decided instead to push on to Yoichi for a brief stop at the 7/11 for obtentō lunch boxes to eat on the bus.

Our afternoon was spent with some retail therapy in Otaru township, a quite delightful city of canals and glassware shops.  And soft cream too — milk, lavender, black sesame, green tea and melon flavours.

Then to our hotel — the quaintly named Neu Schloss Hotel, perched on a mountain some kilometres out of town, and looking as if it will slide down into the Sea of Japan at the slightest tremor.  Russia is just across the water and I was authoratively informed that we are closer here to Vladivostok than to Tokyo.

All our rooms look out over the ocean and have private onsen baths with sea views.  A French inspired degustation menu in the hotel restaurant tonight was accompanied by a wine list many pages long covering everything from Portugal to Australia.

The view from our bath as the sun set over the sea:

Coming up to the end of our first week.  Much more to come.