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I continued towards Lake Yunoko along the curiously-named Nihon Romantic Highway. The two images above show views across the Senjogahara Plateau, which is a swampy floodplain when not covered in snow.
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Some kilometres further on, this is Yudaki Falls, which drains from Lake Yunoko and is very close to that lake.
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On the far side of Lake Yumoto is Nikko Yumoto Spa where there is a small settlement. At this time of year, this is the end of the road. They hire boats out here in summer.
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These boats weren’t going anywhere in a hurry.
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A few minutes walk further on, here we are looking back along the length of the lake.
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Looking over at the side of the valley, I was struck by the patterns of the trees in the snow in the far distance.
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On the way back now, this is at the other end of Lake Yunoko.
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This is looking back along the lake towards Nikko Yonoko Spa. The water in the foreground is not frozen because it is naturally heated by thermal activity. I didn’t check water temperature because with snow and ice at the edge of the water, I might have risked falling in to do so.
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This is a footbridge over the Yuwaka River as it drains out of Lake Yunoko on its way to Yudaki Falls and Ryuzu Falls.
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Here we are above Yudaki Falls, with a view of the countryside beyond.
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This is a small locked hut with the nearest other building miles away. You can see part of the footbridge in the left background. The signs are all in Japanese but they’re clearly saying “Go away! You can’t come in!”. I think it has to be a small thermal baths of some kind.
Murray Foote 
The landscape looks amazing – is this from recently or from last christmas? It must be pretty damn cold there if there’s so much snow already!
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28th February this year, at the end of winter. Maximum temperature in Nikko for that day -2.2°C; minimum temperature -14.9°C; somewhat colder up on the plateau.
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As I continue to read through this rich delight in Japan I can see it is easily the most complete information on the country I have read to date.
Your photographs have a touch of Ansell Adams about them – not in subject matter per se, and the photographs al have your recognisable beautiful style. A wonderful read, thanks!
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Thanks heaps. I don’t consciously have any influences, I tend to believe that it all comes down to how well you can “see”. I was into large format (5×4) photography in the 80s though, so perhaps sometimes it shows.
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Yes – sorry if I gave wrong impression, I wouldn’t say there is a direct comparison – the work you have shown on your blog is so stylish – wonderful! I know one other comment was about the camera you use, but didn’t really read. Do you use digital now? Normally don’t bother other bloggers with questions like that, but interesting, specifically because of style.
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Thanks very much again.
I was using a Nikon D3. Usually my main camera would be a D3s but it was in for repair. The images in this post were all with either a 14-24mm f2.8 or a 180mm f2.8.
In Japan I also had a borrowed D7000 as backup, though in the end I didn’t use it that much. As well as the two lenses mentioned I had a 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4, 105mm f2 and 300mm f2.8, plus TC-14EII and TC-20EIII, and an RRS tripod and a Gitzo monopod. I also had a Fujifilm X100. Also Thinktank hydrophobia rain covers so I could wander round with the camera in heavy snow or sleet. For the North Atlantic trip I’m expecting to pick up a D800 and a 24mm f3.5 PC-E but not take the 105mm f2.
I agree with you about equipment not normally being of interest. I see this blog as being primarily about the images and their context, not so much about me and hardly at all about equipment.
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[…] 28th February: Nikko – Nihon Romantic Highway […]
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[…] Nikko – Nihon Romantic Highway (14 mono images out of 15, near Nikko, Honshu, Japan) […]
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