348 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
the baths, but also by most of the other inhabitants. Already, 
at the time of our visit, the number of bathers remaining was 
only inconsiderable. Even these were preparing to depart. 
During the second night that we passed at Kusatsu, our night’s 
rest was disturbed by a loud noise from the next room. It was 
a visitor who was to leave the place the following morning, and 
who now celebrated his recovery with saki (rice-brandy) and 
string music. 
The environs of Kusatsu are nearly uncultivated, though the 
vegetation is exceedingly luxuriant. It consists partly of bam¬ 
boo thickets, partly of a high rich grass, above which rise solitary 
pines, mixed with a few oaks or chestnuts. 
On the 3rd October we continued our journey to the foot of 
Asamayama. The road was very bad, so that even the kago 
bearers had difficulty in getting along. It first ran across two 
valleys more than 300 feet deep, occupied with close, luxuriant, 
bushy thickets. We then came to an elevated plain of great 
extent covered with unniown grass, studded with beautiful oaks 
and chestnuts. The plain was not turned to any account, though 
thousands of the industrious population could find an abundant 
living there by tending cattle. Farther up the oaks and chest¬ 
nuts were mixed with a few birches, resembling those at home, 
and we came next to complete deserts, where the ground consisted 
of lava blocks and lava gravel, scarcely covered by any grass, 
and yielding nourishment only to solitary pines. This continued 
to the place—Rokuriga-hara—where we were to pass the night, 
and from which the next day we were to ascend the summit of 
Asamayama. 
Rokuriga-hara is situated at a height of 1270 metres above 
the sea. There was no inn here, nor any place inhabited all the 
year round, but only a large open shed. This was divided into 
two by a passage in the middle. We settled on one side of this, 
making our bed as well as we could on the raised floor, and pro¬ 
tecting ourselves from the night air with coverings which our 
