In this painting, Lilla Cabot Perry brought together French and Japanese influences. She captured here a view down steep steps—punctuated by eye-catching theater posters—running down the side of Mount Haruna in the hot springs village of Ikao, Japan. Perry began her formal studies at age 36 in Boston, Massachusetts, and continued her studies in Europe, training in the French Impressionist style she learned from Claude Monet (1840–1926). From 1897 to 1900, the Perry family lived in Japan. There, Perry produced approximately 80 paintings, many of which, like this one, incorporate the influence of traditional Japanese compositions with a strong emphasis on asymmetry and diagonal lines. The contrasting lavender tones and touches of yellow also reflect Perry’s study of the French Impressionist use of complementary color to bring light and movement to a scene.