Itttttt”ssss  Chhhhhrrrrrrriiiiiisssssstttttmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssss.

I thought I’d heard the last of that song but uncomfortably, there it was inside me waiting for an opportunity to escape…I feel so ashamed.

I have a hangover and because of that it really does feel like Christmas Day.  Watching the fluffy snow floating down between a gap in the shoji somehow makes my stomach turn.  I decided to get up and subject myself to some cold water therapy in the sink.  The snow has settled on the trees a little bit, just enough to worry the English Parents.

A rough breakfast of cakes and chocolate and coffee and tea, and the simultaneous opening of presents.  Thank you for the presents from the UK!  Really beautiful and useful!

Some beautiful heavy linen from the Houses of Parliament (not stolen).

And, Tunnock’s Tea Cakes.  I wonder how often Tunnock’s and Japan come together in a search term…
We were a little peckish so we headed to Matsubaan for lunch.  We were watched carefully by the proprietors as we ate but they needn’t have worried – the English Parents really enjoyed the food.

And I am sure everyone at Matsubaan was thrilled to witness a tweeded English Parent sipping English tea:

For an aid to digestion we took a tour of the art walk close to the onsen.  Taking the beautiful path up past the shrine, we joined the art walk mid-way.

All around you could hear melting ice falling off the trees and shattering on the leafy undergrowth.  We followed paths I had never seen before and found art works I’d never dreamed existed: a huge pile of rotting sticks, a tree bound in twine, a line of twigs pointing at a bush.  Everything slowly returning to the earth, as it should.

And now for some well used Kamiyama brochure shots: