Declan Murphy <declan_murphy@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Monday, April 23, 2012 5:46:31 AM UTC+9, mtfe...@netMAPSONscape.net wrote:
> > <snip>The hotel was
> > nice, and (like everywhere in Izu) had a very nice outdoor tub. I got
> > to see the sun rise over the Pacific from said hot tub . More unusual,
> > though the hotel was about 60% occupied, nobody else came out for it. Odd.

> Maybe because there was a gaigin in it :-)

It was weird; a large (about 40%) of the guests were foreigners. There was
a large contingent of Taiwanese here. 

We actually ran into an awful  lot of Taiwanese/Chinese on the Honshu part
of the trip. About a 3rd of the people in Yoshino were foreign tourists, and
even at the Chikurin-in Gumpoen there were some Chinese tourists and
one other white guy (who wouldn't talk to me.) 
 
> Sounds like you had a great trip. Not really sure why more people don't
> visit in spring. Much nicer IMO than the summer. Hokkaido excepted.

Yeah, and the airfare's about $500-700 cheaper, as well as the afore-mentioned
deals on hotels.

I'm not complaining...

Mike