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At the Odakyu Hotel de Yama our room was spacious and had a nice balcony with a great view of the lake. The hotel staff were very gracious and welcomed us warmly. The Japanese people seem in general to be very good at that.

This is the view of Lake Ashi from our balcony. In the lobby the main floral arrangement was live branches of cherry trees with their blossoms in full bloom. It was quite beautiful. I would happily return to the Odakyu Hotel de Yama anytime.

Day Five begins with a breathtaking ride on the Kachi Kachi Ropeway which ascends over 1,300 feet up the mountain, and had the weather cooperated, we would have had breathtaking views of Fuji and the surrounding lakes.

The line to ride the ropeway up the mountain was slow moving. However, once we boarded the car and headed up to the top, it was like Disneyland, perfect for kids, and there were quite a few of them up there.

Pete bought me one of these interesting looking things, and I thought, as he did, that it would be sweet, and of course it was not, at least to my taste. The syrup was supposedly made of soy sauce and brown sugar, and the dumplings were made from soy flour. The selling sign stated “Eat and be the best” and “Eat and get a good luck.” They were quite chewy, and I wouldn’t recommend them. I’m still waiting for the ‘good luck’. ;o)

Here are some views from our vantage point at the top of the ropeway. Fuji is out there somewhere. ;o)

The weather was not our friend on this part of our journey. At least it wasn’t raining, and from the shadows you can tell the sun was still out. Even so, the views were breathtaking. I am glad we got to experience this part of the tour.

Fuji Yama is probably directly above Pete’s head, so use your imagination. ;o) The cherry trees were still in bloom here.

Collette provided lunch today, and we were going to stop at a typical noodle shop, but on the way there, Niko took us on a merry little walk through another market. The packaging alone was amazing. I was dying to try some of these interesting looking treats.

Everything was so neatly arranged and displayed, and not a spot of dirt anywhere. They obviously knew that presentation was everything when it comes to selling a product.

Pete was amazed at how many flavors of KitKat candy bars there were. Here you see Shinshu Apple, Original and Cocoa Plan, whatever that is. He kept searching for Wasabi, thinking there must be a Wasabi KitKat somewhere.

We made it to the noodle shop and were very pleasantly surprised at what we were served, a delicious bowl of noodle soup with a huge variety of accompaniments that were all very delicious. It was an excellent lunch. Thanks Collette! … & Niko!

After lunch we were heading for Matsumoto Castle, but there were so many interesting photos taken there that I am going to stop here and begin with Matsumoto in the next part, Part 5.