After breakfast (which I apparently totally forgot to take a picture of, sadly!) we repeated our routine of meandering two blocks to Caravan Coffee, in "downtown" Kusatsu.
The coffee was just as good as the day before, so this time we had two cups in a row (I skipped on the toast) and sat and talked about social structures and the history of Japan for a while. My traveling companions are fonts of knowledge on the topic, so it was great to get to sit and pick their brains a bit.
Afterwards, we walked over into the shopping district where a woman operates an Onsen that is just dedicated to soft-boiling eggs.
They were tricky to eat, as they stay quite soft, but I enjoyed mine all the same.
On the way back, I noticed this charming detail: the manhole covers in the town bear the town's mascot, a cartoon Onsen attendant/bather with a wooden paddle. The paddle she's holding was used in early days to aerate the water in the large baths when they got too hot.
I was struck by this visual. There aren't many plants in my part of the world (Except pine) that will stay this green through a snowfall.
After a walk around town, I found a climb. I noticed one of the tallest apartment buildings on the high side of the valley had an open fire-escape stairway that climbed the side of the building. . .so I found an approach that wasn't visible from the building and climbed to their top floor.
The result was breathtaking. The valley is beautiful, and the sky was perfect for some pictures. I look forward to getting the "real" pictures off my camera soon.
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