Lake Toya

The week prior to my sublime paddle across the grey, molten waters of Lake Shikotsu (and Cian's as yet unbeaten record haul of 7, count 'em, 7 fish), we had made our way to Lake Toya. Avid readers will recall a previous post or two about this lake before - we tend to head that way a couple of times each year.
As an aside, do I actually have any 'avid readers'? Methinks not. I think I have some 'occasional readers' and Barry Keane. Hallo Bazza.
Anyway, up to Lake Toya we went, jumped on the ferry and steamed across to Nakajima Island in the centre of the lake. This was more of a hiking through the bush than encountering the aquatic sublime, hence all the tree photos. 
Yes, I know, I like my tree photos. But, you have to look up once in a while. The glory, as by now you all know, is all around us. Unfortunately, we can't touch it. There's something stopping us. But we don't know what.
Sorry, I'm just riffing tonight - it's gone hot and humid in this part of the world and my mind is succumbing to the heat.
Time for another 'anyway'.
Anyway, we trooped off the ferry, ate lunch and headed off on the trail that loops around the island with the intention of completing the loop. But first we stopped to take some more pictures of trees.

And leaves.

And squirrels.

And the slightly unsettling remains of a cicada's exoskeleton.

And snakes.

A lot of snakes as it turned out, all of them out basking in the strong spring sunshine that flooded across the southern part of the island. 
This was a little too much for Sanae and Cian - the snakes, not the sunshine. They refused to go any further and so back to the relative serpent free safety of the dock area.
"But what if they attack?!"
God, I hadn't considered that possibility. So we commandeered a ferry, told the captain to fire up the boilers and make a dash for the mainland.
Where, of course, there are no snakes whatsoever, they being an island loving race of reptiles.
Cian and I were somewhat distracted by the 'wearing method of the lifejacket' notice and the time and age spanning hotness of the model.