Woke up in the morning believing it to be 5 am as the room was very dark so didn’t check my watch and tried to sleep a bit more.   Eventually,  checked my watch and it was 8:30!  The curtains definitely keep the light out.   As the breakfast ends at 9:30 and you have to get there by 9, I ended up skipping breakfast.  Went to the onsen for a soak before coming back to the room to pack.   They had probiotic drinks after the onsen so that was breakfast in addition to the pineapple cake that was complimentary in the hotel room.

Checked out and headed out for some sightseeing in the way to Mt. Asahidake.  Stopped first at the Tomita Farm for a soft serve with melon.

It was very tasty!  Then wandered around to check out the lavender and flower fields, which smelled amazing.   It’s just the start of the flower season but it was still impressive.

Stopped to use the washroom before heading back on the road and wonder what kind of people visit as they felt the need to put this sign in the toilet:

Drove to the Blue Pond near Biei, which was impressive and definitely a stop on the tour bus circuit.

There were some falls further down the road that I attempted to drive to but didn’t stop as it was unclear exactly where they were and there didn’t seem to be any parking.  

Headed back towards Biei and filled up the car and bought a snack at the 7-Eleven, salmon and roe onigiri, and a yuzu juice.   Then drove to the Patchwork Road area and took some photos at the Seven Stars Tree.

There were signs to a number of view point areas in the fields that had little parking lots.  

Then drove down Rollercoaster Road, which is basically a straight road with some hills.   Not much parking there so didn’t get any photos.

Headed to my hotel near Mt. Asahidake, which was just over an hour away.   Drove through some nice little farming communities that looked like no one was around.   Only saw cars coming towards me and no one heading in my direction,  slightly eerie.  The road started heading up hill into a forest and there were lots of places to park in the side so I stopped at a nice one overlooking water,  with a mountain in the background.

Got to the hotel around 3:45 pm and checked in.   Room is nice and has a view of a mountain.   Also had the coffee grinder here for my morning coffee 😁.

Before dinner,  walked around the hotel to take some photos.  

Dinner was included in my plan so dinner at the French restaurant tonight and the Japanese one tomorrow.   Great dinner and enjoyed some rose,  white and red wine.

The server advised me that there’s a complimentary wine bar in the lobby from 9-10 pm – hopefully,  I’ll be able to stay awake!

Took a soak in the onsen after dinner.   This hotel also has the private onsen as well as the men’s and women’s.   However,  the private ones don’t have shower facilities, so you need to shower first in your room.   Seemed like a hassle, so I just went to the public one.   Nice bath with a stone one outside and three lounging baths outside.  It was nice outside listening to the sounds of either grasshoppers or frogs with the forest in the background.   This onsen has a dry sauna,  which was super hot and very dry.   Spent a few minutes in there, and that was it.   Enjoyed the free popsicle afterwards.

Enjoyed a glass of wine from the free wine bar in the lobby from 9-10 pm.  Hope the weather is not rainy tomorrow as I would like to take the ropeway up Mt. Asahidake and walk around.   The hotel has a spa with massages, so may try and get a massage.   Other than that, tomorrow will be a relaxing day.