Yesterday I returned from a 5 day tour around Kyushu Island. It is the most southerly of the 4 main islands that make up the Japanese archepelago. I took the midnight ferry from Shikoku to the resort town of Beppu. Early the next morning, I took the train from Beppu to Fukuoka - the largest city of Kyushu, found on the NE part of the island. The train that I took was by far the coolest I have been on yet! It was soooo modern, so much so it was verging on tacky! The seats were all covered in multi-coloured leopard print complimented by matte chrome accents! The train was so new and modern, unlike anything I have ever seen. As I am sure some of you are wondering, it was not one of the high speed shinkansen trains that Japan is famous for, just a normal train! VIA pails in comparison.



After arriving in Fukuoka mid Thursday morning I met up with my friend Tori - another JET who I met while at the Ottawa pre-departure orientation. Unfortunately, I had eaten something funky the evening before and was not feeling all that great. After resting for a while, thank goodness Tori was patient, we headed out to explore the city. The weather was not great but we managed to see a far bit of the city. On route to the Asian Art Museum, we stopped at one Temple that was quite pretty with a huge sakura tree in bloom right in the front court yard! The museum was full of contemporary art from all around Asia. It was a welcome break from Japanese culture for both Tori and I. Fukuoka is perhaps the 2nd most international city in Japan, after Tokyo. There are many many foreign restaurants, international clubs and sites throughout the city, a refreshing change from the rural Japan we have been accustomed to. We also headed to a huge shopping complex called Canal City before checking in at the hotel. With little help from the less than adequate Lonely Planet map, we FINALLY found our hotel. I won't even tell you how long it to me, Ms. Geographer to find the silly place......Much to our relief the staff of the 'Hyper Hotel' were incredibly friendly and helpful even living up to the 'hyper' name. In the evening we headed out to watch Bowling for Columnbine - an excellent movie. I was glad to be able to see it as it is only playing in a few cities accross the country. We were both dead tired from the day and previous evening of travel so we packed it in early. I am sure I'll be back to check out some of Fukuoka's famed nightlife



On Friday morning we caught the train to Nagasaki - famous for being Japan's only connection with the western world during National Seclusion as well as the atomic bomb that was dropped there in 1945. We arrived late morning and after dropping our bags, we did a whirlwind tour of the city. Nagasaki is still very much a vibrant port city with many ships full of cargo coming and going. Out first stop was Dejima, the Dutch trading port. Dejima was originally a man made island constructed out into the bay to recieve Portuguese ships and their cargo. Nagasaki was opened by the Portuguese in 1571 but by 1641, during the period of national seculsionthe Shogun banished all portugeuse traders (though many were missionaries) fearing the spread of christianity. At this time, the Dutch opperated a trading port around the bay but were soon moved to the now empty Dejima. For another 200 years, the Dutch remained in Dejima providing the only contact between Japan and the rest of the world. It was very interesting to see the influence that Dutch culture has had on the area as evident by the notably different arcitecture in the area. Nagasaki was also influenced much by Chinese culture and trade during the same time. Much of the food the Nagasaki is famous for is modified Chinese food. One such example is that of Champon. A type of hot thin noodle in a tasty broth cooked with many different vetables and sea food! We had some for lunch and it was delish! Yumm yumm And that, boys and girls ends our history lesson for today!




After Dejima, Tori and I headed off to Glover Garden. Ok, so I'm sure that everyone has hear how modern and effieient Japan is, but I must say I think the outdoor esclators found throughout this garden are perhaps too much! I was dumbfounded when I saw them! Too funny! The site of the garden is that of Thomas Glover as British merchant and is located on a hillside overlooking Nagasaki harbour. I suppose that the escalators do serve the aging Japananese population quite well, but seeing such contraptions in an outdoor garden caught me by surprise! The garden itself, aside from the noted modern conveniences was very beautiful and is home to the oldest western style building in Japan, the home of Thomas Glover. We stopped at the oldest stone arch bridge in Japan as well as the oldest Zen temple! In case you haven't gathered yet, everything in Japan seems to be the 'oldest', 'biggest', 'longest'.....insert adjective here! Japan is a nation full of rich history and tradition, but at the same time when things are subdivided into so many catigories it's not surprising that each tourist site can the the '.....est' something! Just another charming fact about Japan! :) Oh, I almost forgot - - on the way to Glover Garden we saw Japan's (get this....) oldest church! Not a word of a lie.





Next on the itinerary was the Atomic Bomb Museum. On August 9th, at 11:02 am, 1945 an Atomic Bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The entrance to the exhibit is quite chilling and consists of the sound of a clock ticking......the first artifact is that of a clock which stopped at exactly 11:02. It has quite an effect. The museum is exceptionally well done and is fully bilingual. Starting with a timeline of events leading up to the bomb complete with a replica of the actual explosion, the exhibit is followed by numerous articles belonging to bulidings, victims etc. It was amazing to see the damage that was inflicted, all during the time of a few seconds. There were bottles that had melted into a glass ball, wood that has glass embedded from the force of the explosion, sheet metal that has the carbon shadow of a person. Their remains were vapourized and their shadow was the only evidence of his/her pervious existance. It was quite unbelievable. There were many pictures and models showing the burns and scars of survivors. Little was spared in terms of showing detail and the after effects. There were pieces of clothing and even a helmet which had someone's remains still inside. This part of the museum was meant to give you a real grasp of what happens, it is much worse than I ever imagined. Next there are a number of stations showing monalogues and account from survirors and their families. The stories they tell are heartbreaking and gut renching. Many of the people of Nagasaki were not aware of the after effects of radiation and those who were not injured by the expolosion died slow and painful deaths over the next days, weeks and years. The final portion of the museum discusses the nuclear arms race, nuclear testing and the promotion of a nuclear-free world. Much of the exhibit was quite unsettling but I think it is important that we all realize how awful war and distruction is. It is very easy for North Americans to turn a blind eye, rarely having seen such horific acts on our own soil. This was a good time to visit the museum, if there ever is such a time. Afterwards we visited the actual epicentre of the blast. A few minutes away is Peace Park. Many people bring paper cranes and water. The cranes symbolize peace and the water is for the victims who called out for water to sooth their wounds. It was a sombering end to the day, but nonetheless it was an important thing to do. Later that evening, we headed off to Kumamoto via bus.



In Kumamoto we met up with another JET from the Ottawa group, Natasha. We stayed for Friday and Saturday night. Having run around looking at sites all day in Nagasaki, Tori and I were all too happy to have a quiet and fun day! In the morning we visited Kumamoto-jo - or Kumamoto Castle >>> One of Japan's "Three most famous Castles"!!! Being content to have a lazy day....we went and got our Japan Road Luge Licenses! No joke! About 45 minutes from Kumamoto there is a fun park of sorts, complete with road luges and what I can best describe as human hamster balls! Overlooking the Pacific Ocean the three of us took a chair lift to the top of the hill and got into our respective green plastic carts! It was like go-carting without the engine! It was a BLAST! Mom, don't worry there was a break and I DID wear a helmet! It was too much fun! We had all just eaten lunch so we decided against the human hamster ball - which rolled down the hill with you strapped inside! Quite a sight to see!



After an exhausting day of sakura viewing at the Castle and rolling down hills we decided a massage was in order! As Natasha has found out, our health insurance covers the cost of such necessary services so for the nominal fee of 500 yen ($7CDN) we had a 45 minute massage! It was great! Granted our feet and shoulders were sore from all that walking during the past two days, so it was justified! :P



On Saturday night after a yummy Mexican dinner we headed out for a night of dancing! It was great fun and the DJ for part of the evening was a Canadian from BC. It was a great time! No many chances to go danceing in Ehime, that's for sure!



In the morning we staggered to the train station enroute for Yufuin, a small traditional town located just outside the onsen resort area of Beppu. I had been to Yufuin last year but I had not stayed overnight. Tori and I decided to splurge and booked ourselves into a traditional Japanese hotel. Called ryokan they are most common to B&B's in Canada. One usually arrived during the afternoon and stays at the ryokan for most of evening and next morning, perhaps leaving to go to an onsen, or hotspring as they are known in English. We arrived at 3pm and were shown to our room. We stayed in a small tatami room with very simple furnishings, very Japanese. We then headed down to the onsen that was in the Ryokan for a nice long soak. It felt great. After a walk around town we then returned for a wonderful dinner! It was a very traditional meal (at ryokans you are served both dinner and breakfast, sightly different from B&Bs). The main part of the meal was nabe - a type of Japanese soup. There is boiling broth on the table to which you add vegtables and meat. It was great. When we returned to our room the futons has been laid out. I was too tired and relaxed for any more excitement and I plunked down with my book for the evening.



On Monday we headed to Beppu, an hour away by train. This was my third trip to Beppu but I saw many new things! First we went to the 'Beppu Sand Beach Resort'! It was great fun. After putting a yukkatta on (Japanese robe) we walked down to the water edge and were covered in geothermal heated sand - righ up to our necks! You only stay in for 15 minutes - but boy, that was enough! It was sooo hot! It was a thoroughly exfoliating experience! hahahha After rinsing off and taking another bath we went to a mud bath further out of town. This was my first time at a mud bath....let alone a mixed one! There's a first for everything, right!! There were atleast 5 different pools to soak in. The first was a regular bath full of hot spring water! It was very hot and a little stinky due to the sulful content. This particular resort was famous for leaving your skin soft and rejuvinated.


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