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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.