We found ourselves on a journey involving trains. Each train would be smaller and slower. The slower the train the more stops it would make.
I knew our journey would soon be over when the local train stopped at every station and many of the stations had no staff.
Our destination had some employees but I think they were not employed by the railway company.
The little station of Hirafu, near Niseko, had some small wooden huts almost on the platform. There was a bath room. The bath was a hollowed out log. I was a little afraid of a splinter in my bottom but it was quite smooth ( the log not my bottom).
The owner met us off the train and made us feel welcome. It was a bright clear day and the snow was still quite thick on the ground.
Almost as soon as we arrived the star of the show made an appearance. Shimajiro-chan, the station cat. Mainly white with some ginger and a chewed ear. He had a habit of greeting guests especially when they had a barbeque booked.
Despite the freezing cold weather the views of the snow fields were stunning. It never snows where we live so watching the snow in the evening was a novelty for us.
We fed some of the meat to the cat who was then happy to sit on our laps and enjoy the fierce heat from the log fire.
