Thursday April 4th - our hotel

 This tour is all about trying to make the most of  the 14 days that we will be away, with the result being that we are only in some of the hotels for one or two nights. Our hotel on the side of Lake Ashi is modern and very striking inside, with lots of wood panelling, marble, glass and high ceilings and we are very pleased to discover that our room is large and very well appointed, with what we think just might be a view across the lake to Mount Fuji ( we are guessing/ hoping at this point because it was now dark as well as foggy!) 

We have a little more time to get ready for dinner tonight, a good job because trying to work out how to fill the bath is more complicated than usual - for about 10minutes we can only manage to get water coming out of the shower and no matter how many parts of the taps and shower attachment we try to fiddle with, it has no effect. It takes a sudden flash of the blindingly obvious for me to realise that the one tap that actually turns has a temperature gauge in it, so can produce both hot and cold water for the bath!

Down in the bar for pre dinner drinks we enjoy one of the features of a Great Rail tour, getting to know our fellow travellers, as we sit  with two of the Australian members of the tour party, a great couple from the Gold Coast who keep us entertained with stories of their many adventures. At dinner, we enjoy the company of Helen and Craig, a lovely couple from Durham. The dinner itself is tasty and beautifully presented, the surprise being that Trev eats both fish courses without complaint! Our local guide Hori has prepared little cards for any of us who are either allergic or intolerant of certain foods, to show in hotels or restaurants.This saves  us trying to explain the problem and has so far resulted in me being served first!

Once back in our bedroom we draw the curtains to see if the skies are clearing  yet and are encouraged to be able to see the moon. This bodes well for tomorrow!

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