TAZAWA-KO: Dragonflies and dodgy ATMs

Having survived being buried up to our necks in sand at Beppu (see photos below), we boarded the first of four trains to take us north - into wilder, more mountainous countryside. It was dark by the time we arrived at Tazawa-ko - Japan's deepest lake as every sign was keen to emphasise. It was also very, very quiet. Our guest house was deserted, nobody stirred by our slightly feeble cries of "Konnichiwa?!" Only after venturing upstairs to find signs of life did we come across our hosts - a short, elderly couple who did all the cooking and cleaning themselves, and kept the place like a pristine monument to 1960s hospitality. They'd put our dinner aside for us - a tray full of different brightly coloured foods, much of which we didn't recognise - but all of which was tasty.
The next day was spent cycling around the lake, watching dragonflies fly and kites glide along the waters edge, before going for yet another onsen hot spring bath. As the sun set everything seemed idyllic until it came to paying. Guide books warn Japan is still a cash society - and to stock up at international ATM cash machines. There wasn't one near the lake, so I had duly planned to take an early bus up to the train station - where there were three. All fine - except it turns out they didn't open until 8:45am. And when they did all open, two wouldn't accept foreign cards. The third promised that it would - but despite 17 attempts with every bankcard my wallet had to offer, it didn't want to pay-out. In the end, two trains were missed and the very nice and very short guesthouse owners agreed we could send the money in the post. We left feeling very guilty, bowing as low as possible to show gratitude - which is quite difficult when the recipients are not much over four feet tall. We've already sent the money, and hopefully learnt our lesson. While I'm at it, here are a few other lessons we've picked up along the way:
* Not all walking maps are to scale.
* Pay on the bus when you get off, not on.
* Taking a hand towel to the onsen would have been a good idea.
* There is always an egg in the food, whatever you ordered.

Anyway, we have now moved further north, to Hokkaido - which is not so far away from Russia according to the map. Then again, maybe its not to scale...