At this bizarre moment I am sitting on the ferry to go to another side of this beautiful lake, one of the countless lakes in the park. Bizarre because the lake is so peaceful, the frogs are chirping loudly and the ducks are landing ... and at the same time the radio on the ferry is sending out some really bad rock music and a few workers are mending a fence with a chain saw. And, uh-oh, the bus load of about 30 Japanese people will probably soon fill the ferry and it will be click, click, click. But wait, we're off before the throng descends so it is only we 7 earlybirds. Now to enjoy the ride.

Indeed, a beautiful and peaceful ride with just the sound of the lapping water. And no radio.

I walked from the lower to the upper lakes; there are wooden walkways to go over the water and then there are walking paths around the lakes. So you basically crisscross the network of lakes and waterfalls. Fairly magical.

A couple of things - as the high season approaches I would make sure to head off at exactly 8am. Otherwise there's lots of waiting on the boardwalks for large groups of older people who don't seem to notice that others are using the narrow pathways too.

The other thing is how grouchy most of the people working the information booths, buffets and ticket booths are. I guess that being surrounded by nature doesn't ensure knowing your own.