On Saturday, October 2nd we took a little drive West of Fussa to an area called Okatuma and Ome. After driving about 20 minutes we were out of the city and in a marvelous wooded and mountainous area. The roads were very winding and narrow with many tunnels through the mountain. We passed numerous Bhuddist shrines and other tourist attractions but didnt' stop at any of them on this trip. We just wanted to see what was up the road and also needed to make sure we could find our way back to Fussa.
When I got out to take the second picture of a fishing bridge that spans the lake I saw a monkey in the bushes next to the road. I didn't know there were monkeys running wild here in Japan. Of course, I didn't know there were jungles just outside of the city limits either.
The picture of the toilet facilities at one of the rest stops along the way tells its own story. In the cities they have Westernized toilets, but this is the typical Japanese accomodation. You bring your own toilet paper and soap along. The last picture is a map of the lake. We drove about 3/4 of a mile on the bottom portion. At the end of the lake and much higer up the mountainside there is a tram that will take you up to the mountain top. We will take that trip at a later date. We understand that in about two weeks the leaves will turn and it will be an even prettier drive. But along with that will be many more cars, bicyclists and hikers on the narrow roads. We won't be taking that trip on a weekend.
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