Ending in Hakata/Fukuoka

After catching up with mail and other chores, I took a quick subway ride to the Japanese Garden in Ohori Park. It is relatively new compared to others in Japan, and I found it a bit "stiff". Rakusui-en, near Hakata station is older, smaller and has many shady trees and more moss onthe ground.

After that peace and quiet time spent in nature, I plunged into the commercial underground mall of Tenjin. The basements of nearby department stores like Parco, Solaria and Mitsukoshi were also all connected to the mall and there was food galore...what a surfeit!

Susan and Choo went to Yufuin by a special train, and then on to Beppu and back by the Sonic Express. They thought Yufuin was worth visiting. It will be on my list at the next visit. I quite enjoy Japan, especially the wonderful uniformity and ingenuity of the bus systems throughout the country. I do not think I will get to learn Japanese properly, but I should bone up on my vocabulary a bit so as not to feel so frustrated when I can't get my message across concerning simple tourist neccessities.

Off to Singapore tomorrow....

Nagasaki

This was the last outing for me. I was becoming weary of getting on and off trains. Huis Ten Bosch was a disappointment for us, as we had not expected to pay over 3000Yen to enter the theme park. I don't remember reading that it was one.

So, after snapping a few photos, we took the "Sea Side Liner" to Isahaya. This was a worthwhile ride along the coast of the bay, especially with the good weather we had yesterday. Isahaya is also where one changes to a private train to visit the peninsula of Shimbara, and then connect to Kumamoto, by ferry, if one wants to do that.

We had a quick snack of Oden in a small restaurant near the station. It was tasty! We were then whisked to Nagasaki by the Kamome limited express train, which had leather seats. We enjoyed  ramen and gyoza at one of the many restaurants in the mall next to the large and well-designed station, and then set off by tram to the Peace Park. Susan was moved by how the school children were reminded of the Atomic bomb tragedy by their visit to the Park.
Next came a steep learning curve of how to transfer trams correctly to get to the Glover Garden. It was near closing time by then and we did not get in. But the night lights of Nagasaki were coming on, and Susan got her photos.
Another Kamome ride took us back to Fukuoka, where the temperature felt more truly like autumn than at any time during our trip.

A long bus ride to a beautiful gorge

Yes, it took 3 hours to get to Takachiho Gorge and another 3 hours back. We pitied the bus driver who had to drive 6 hours (with a 2-hr rest in between trips) that day. I wonder if he does this every day or every other day?

We, on the other hand had many views of Mt Aso from a different perspective and a safe ride up into the mountains. The tourist office was helpful with maps and directions and we started off downhill, at first on a straight road, and then on a winding road down into the gorge. We were glad to get off the road which was busy with cars and tour buses, and get on to the track next to the gorge. It was as beautiful as the pictures advertising this wonder of nature. Many boats were in the gorge. I had thought we could have done that too, but I was not keen to row the boat!

We did not look forward to walking all the way up to the town again, but it turned out not to be too strenuous.

We reached Kumamoto after sunset of a long day.

Impressive Mt Aso

The jetfoil was punctual as ever (like all public transport in Japan) and we reached Kagoshima in time for lunch at another favorite eatery: Home cooking at a family restaurant  a few blocks away from Kagoshima Chuo station. Then we took the short Shinkansen ride to Kumamoto.

The next day we made our visit to Mt Aso by taking the "Aso Boy" train to Aso station. This is a cute train for children. It has a children's playground in the centre of the train. There is also a viewing car at the back of the train and also an appropriately sombre car for senior citizens, who I find seem to dress themselves in rather dark colors here. Susan was thrilled by all the different drawings of the little doggie throughout the train. I presume this is "Aso Boy".

We disembarked at the Aso town station which was painted black(indicating the lava??). Then it was a 30min bus ride up to the cable car station which took passengers up to the lip of the caldera of Nakadake. We decided to walk, which was a good thing. We saved 1000Yen each, and had a lovely walk in the bright sunshine.

I have never been up to the edge of a volcano crater before. We understood that it had been closed for 10 days either because of bad weather or because the fumes were too dangerous. There was also a walk across old lava sands to view the plants that try to grow there, before being dried up by the heat.We gave thanks for the perfect weather.

Near the volcanic museuam, there is a nice walk across a grassy plain. It looks like there is also some accommodation here...made a note for another visit

All wet in Yakusugi Land

It was a hard decision  to get up while the rain was still enjoying itself, and tog up to walk in the storm. Although we had a lovely walk in Yakusugi Land ( a visit to ancient Cedar trees and walking trails), we were wet all day long. We took the 80min circuit. In the beginning there were easy board walks and paved paths. Later we had to climb up stony tracks and put our feet among tree roots, much like at the Bukit Timah Hill tracks.There were many bridges to cross. These gave us lovely views of the rushing river below. Unfortunately Iwas reluctant to take out my camera in the rain.

The next day could not have been more different. Bright sunshine greeted us, and we went out in our Singapore clothes. We decided to visit Shiratani Unsuikyo, the ravine up the mountains behind the main town of Miyanoura. We were rewarded for our early start: after we had finished the short trek, wave after wave of bus loads of tourists arrived.

After lunch on a bench at a Miyanoura bus stop, we headed for Sempiro Falls. The hot walk uphill brought us to a view of the falls surrounded by bare rocks. I did not think this was really worth visiting. However, the walk was good. We rewarded ourselves with another visit to the restaurant by the sea!

The tail of the typhoon

We were not sure if we could leave as planned to Yakushima, on account of another typhoon that was bothering Okinawa and threaten to come our way. As it turned out, there was only light rain in Kagoshima and we managed the crossing in a very stable Jetfoil.

Yakushima was even hot when we arrived and we had a smooth transfer to the local bus and to our accommodation Morinokokage. This was a cute collection of lovingly made cottages, with excellent varnishing and stained glass windows. Our cottage was one of the largest with attached bathroom, 4 bunk beds and a hammock. All hotel amenties (and more) were available. A little toy train stood ready in front of our door for transport of little ones. The owner also had built a little play house for his 15-month daughter. it was delightful.

We went to Anbo, the nearest main town to get information for our walks and also to feed our hungry stomachs. We were fortunate to have an english-speaking apprentice hiking guide to help clarify the details of the walks and transport.

We were also absolutely bowled over by the standard of the cuisine in a small family restaurant in a beautiful setting on the riverside. It was the only restaurant open at that strange time of 3pm

The tail of the typhoon sent lashings of rain just as we completely our grocery shopping. We ran to the bus stop and dripped all the way back home.

Walking to a waterfall

We were thrilled to ride the Kirishima Express to Miyazaki, after all those stop-and-start days! We passed familiar Hayato station once again and pressed on through the mountains to Miyazaki. On the way we also passed many ricefields ripe for harvest, while the harvested stalks were already hanging to dry in picturesque rows.

Miyazaki was not too interesting, although we walked through a little of the downtown area. We then turned back to ride to Shigetomi where we had spied a board detailing times for walks to a waterfall. We were not disappointed when we got off, as there were many helpful directions to the park, and with the help of locals on the way, we soon found ourselves enroute.

At first we had to face a barking dog indicating to us that it was the wrong way. We finally found the entrance where I found several thoughtfully left sticks to aid climbers. I was glad for that, because some of the steps were really steep. I admire Susan and Choo for being able to keep their balance! First it was an uphill trudge on rough steps to a high point to view the town and the beach that fronted it. Then it was a steep downhill to another area with a small (dirty) pond, and a short trek to a beautiful waterfall. Later we took the path to the "white clouds" and were rewarded, after a laboured walk, by a view of the coast again. Choo thought that the path downward might lead to the beach, but Susan was not keen. So we retraced our steps, anddetoured to the beach via the road.

We enjoyed the day day very much!

More local trains!

Local trains were the only way down the Satsuma peninsula, so we made an early start for our goal to reach Makurazaki, the end station on this line. There was dramatic coastal scenery on our ride after we had travelled out of the suburbs of Kagoshima, taking on and letting off the local population of students and office workers. The water was choppy, signifying a rise in the wind speed as a typhoon approached Okinawa.

On our way down the coast, we passed the resort of Ibusuki, where people go to get "buried" in the black sands reputed to have healing properties. We looked forward to seeing Mount Kaimon which we planned to "climb" in the afternoon. It came into view big and strong and perfectly symmetrical.

When we arrived at Makurazaki, Susan discovered a very helpful English-speaking(after a fashion) tourist office personnel who gave us a recommendation to a seafood restaurant. Were we in for a surprise. A fast trot (we were hungry) down the main drag brought us to the harbour, and on turning left we came to a rather unassuming house. Pushing aside "the door curtains" found in all Japanese restaurants,a cozy restaurant was revealed. They showed us a private room at the back of the restaurant, with tatami floor and a "well" for legs unaccustomed.to kneeling while eating! We ordered by pointing at photos (which was very helpful), but we were not prepared for the huge portions that arrived in set meals. We had a capital time celebrating Susan's birthday. Needless to say, the food was as good as it looked and we finished all of it in a hurry!

It was very hot outside and after a listless walk round the harbourfront, susan and choo spied an "old uncle" selling local rice cakes to people in a stream of cars stopping by. "Must be good" commented Choo, and indeed we had a good meal of them later, on the dark railway platform of Kaimon station.

Reached Kaimon station near 5pm and we set off, regardless, for the mountain. We did indeed complete the first stage of the climb which was on paved road in a lovely park-like setting. When we reached the actually mountain trail it looked too forbidding and dark to enter.

We had a long wait for the next train and we joined the spiders and insects on the dark railway platform, waging whether there would be anyone on the train at this hour. We were indeed surprised to find many home-going students, looking tired and bedraggled in their identical kit, down to the number and brand of bags they were burdened with.

Equally bedraggled, we got off the train in darkness at Kagoshima station and headed for our pillows at the Inn.

Shinkansen and the Mountain trains



We were off to a flying start on the Shinkansen from Hakata to Kagoshima the next day. The train gobbled up the kms and we soon found ourselves at our destination. Enroute, we were fascinated by the station masters who all had the same ritual of a set of hand signals whenever the train left. We were thankful that they kept us safe, for there were Shinkansen trains whizzing by on the tracks every hour, sometimes 3 in an hour. Some of them went all the way from Kagoshima to Osaka.

After we dumped our luggage at our favorite hotel, Toyoko Inn, we turned around and took the train to Yoshimatsu. In my haste, I forgot that we should have waited to take the "Hayato no Kaze" a special historic train. Instead we got our first taste of a local train, chugging away on the rails and stopping at every station.

The lovely view of Kinko Bay and it's special live volcano was our reward. It was rather hazy that day, so Sakurajima wasn't as pretty as when I saw it in March this year.

It was at Hayato that we had to stop and transfer to the mountain train that took us past historic stations  and tourist onsen resorts like Kirishima and Kurino before we reached Yoshimatsu. We had 3 hours layover here, and we took a walk by the riverbank.

To our surprise, a red train, the "Kyushuoudan Kumagawa" appeared at 2.15pm and so did the "Kaze"

There was a flurry of activity as the Sunday trippers changed from one train to the other. Susan and I were also busy photgraphing the exteriors and interiors of these historic trains.

The ride to on the Oudan was most scenic. Our journey would have been enhanced had we understood the Japanese commentary. We "puffed" through tunnels and stopped at rural stations to change tracks as we climbed higher into the mountains. Soon we came to a spot where Yoshimatsu and the mountains ringing it could be seen far below us. Pity that it was a bit dark and hazy by this time.

At Hitoyoshi we changed to another train which passed through a beautiful gorge for the most part of the journey and through the steep mountainsides, we saw a glorious sunset (one of many on our trip). By the time we reached Shin Yatsushiro, it was dark and deserted and we had noodles at a lonely cafe, served by a quiet lady.

Speeding again with Susan and Choo

Hello from Kumamoto, at the mid point of our trip through Kyushu. The weather has been warm, except for one very rainy day in Yakushima where the tail of a typhoon caught us. Besides riding the trains furiously with our Kyushu JR pass, we have been walking a lot as well.

As soon as we landed after our short overnight flight from Singapore to Fukuoka, we took off for a look at the city. It was Saturday and we had bought a reduced day pass on the underground (subway) from the airport. The airport is 5 mins on the rails from town and our hotel was practically opposite the impressive JR Hakata station. So we dumped our bags, joined the saturday family crowds on the train, and later emerged at Ohori Ko-en where there was a running competition on. We had a good work-out with idyllic views of the lake and the mountains, our first introduction to the mountains of Kyushu. We proceeded to Tenjin, the heart of town where there is an enormous underground shopping mall. We preferred the overground covered mall, and had our first Japanese meal of ...what else..ramen, the specialty of the city.

Fortified, we continued our investigation of the area and when jet lag overtook us, we returned to the hotel to wait for check-in time, which is strictly observed at the Toyoko Inn where we are staying on all nights of our trip except for the 3 days on the island of Yakushima.

In "old" Japan

From Nagoya, we visited Magome, by taking the train to Nakatsugawa, and then a bus to Magome. It is a well-travelled tourist route . But first Susan introduced me to the specialty shop near the station which makes mochi filled with chestnut paste. It was ever so tasty...and expensive...so we bought and ate sparingly!

Magome consists of one main street that climbs ever upward to the old Nakasendo post road. Shops and inns and eating houses line this street. As we emerged from the town, a beautiful vista of mountains appeared before us, across green fields. a refreshing breeze sped us on our way.
We plunged into the forest and began the hilly 3 hour walk to Tsumago. We were thankful that 2 energetic japanese ladies did not mind us tagging along behind them to make sure we were on the right path, as the trail crossed the vehicular road several times.

On the trail, we were welcomed by an old man who seemed like he had been welcoming travellers for centuries. Green tea and Japanese preserved plums refreshed us, and whetted our appetite for lunch.
Our walking companions showed us a nice picnic area by the waterfall to have our bento lunch which we had carried with us all the way from Nagoya station! They continued on their way to Tsumago and beyond, to Nagiso station.
It was good to know that the end of the road was not too far away after lunch. It had started to get hot, and we were glad to be in the forest much of the way.
Tsumago seemed larger than Magome, but since we had a train to catch, we did not tarry long in the shops and Museum.
Alighting from the bus at Nagiso station, we found our walking friends who warned us that we were in for rain the next day. We were happy to have had calm weather and a lovely walk.
Sure enough, rain came down the next day and washed out most of our visit to Takayama.
The train ride from Nagoya took 2 hours, but near our destination there was some dramatic gorge scenary.
There were many tourists like us here, and everyone was just about walking up and down all the streets of Takayama which are lined with well-preserved houses of old Japan. Of course we had to try the Hida beef and the grilled rice balls with soya sauce.
We returned to Nagoya in the afternoon. Susan and Choo bought delicious fare from the Takashimaya food hall for our last meal together in Japan.

On the Tateyama-Kurobe alpine route

We left our luggage at Toyoko Inn in Matsumoto and headed for Shinano-omachi station, using our railpass. From here we bought a ticket for the whole alpine route to Toyama. This covered various modes of transport, like a bus to Ogizawa, a trolley ride to the Kurobe Dam, 2 cable cars to Daikanbo, and then a bus ride in a tunnel dug through Tateyama, the highest mountain in the region.

All was achieved with admirable Japanese efficiency. We arrived in Murodo in good time, but the expected guide from the ryokan did not turn up. The clouds descended just as we set out in search of the lodging, and we had to find our way with the help of a rough "map". The Raichoso Ryokan eventually loomed out of the mists. Little did we know that we were walking on a high ridge to get there.

We had to get used to getting out of our boots at the reception area, wear the "lobby slippers" to our room, and take them off while we were in the room. When we wanted to go to the toilet, we had to change to "toilet slippers". Sometimes, I got them jumbled!

It was only 3pm in the afternoon when we got settled, but we spent all our energies drinking tea to keep warm in the tatami room. The fog outside did not inspire us to go roaming. Dinner time came around soon enough, and we were treated to a delicious set meal. Susan and Choo tried out the boiling hot onsen, but I was content to get under the futon and drift off to sleep.

We were up early with the other walkers the next morning. some were taking a long-distance trek, others just going out for the day. We walked a bit further down into the valley.Susan and Choo continued down to the hot springs. The long climb out of there just about winded them. From the Ryokan, we still had to bagpack back to the bus station.

The bus, cable car and train ride brought us to Toyama, where we had lunch, and then pushed on to Kanazawa because there was no room at the inns in Toyama.

Kanazawa was quite a lovely place. I took a walk to the Castle Park. The next day we visited the famed Kenrokkuu-En gardens, and had lunch at the Omicho market, a fascinating warren of stalls selling produce and other dry goods.

We pressed on to Gifu Hashima, a commuter town near Nagoya. The Toyoko Inn is just 5 mins walk from the station. Although it is right next to the railway lines, the double-glazed windows are absolutely effective in ensuring a good night's sleep.

All this time we had been living out of our bag packs, our luggage being still in Matsumoto. Thanks to Japan's efficient baggage courier service, Yamato, we were united with our suitcases in Gifu Hashima. A hot shower and clean clothes never felt better!

The Food Hall in Nagoya JR Station's Takashimaya department store was enormous, and we had a feast on cooked food bought here at bargain prices.

Kamikochi

Kamikochi in the Japan Alps National Park was an easy train and bus ride away from Japan. On the way, the scenary was dramatic. At the park we crossed the much-photographed Kappa-bashi and walked for an hour or so towards Myojin-bashi. It was a really pleasant walk in the forest, on board walks and steps cut into the slopes. Near Myojin-bashi was a picturesque old inn selling grilled char and oden.

We returned to the Park Headquarters for a soba lunch in a very busy but efficient restaurant. we then heade west of Kappa-bashi, past the "Weston relief" ( a memorial to the explorer Walter Weston), and headed towards Taisho-ike. We did not quite get there because we had to catch the bus back to Matsumoto.

Return to Matsumoto

My friend Susan convinced me that travelling in Japan was a breeze with a Japan Rail Pass and Toyoko Inn membership.

After unsuccessfully trying to get on a walking tour to the Dolomites in September 2009, and thanks to a half-price offer on Singapore Airlines, I decided to tag along with Susan and Choo, quite disrupting their planned itinerary in the process!

Arriving at Nagoya's Chubu airport, I encountered the first of many efficient and polite service personnel working in the vast rail network in this country. A quiet express train whisked me to the centre of Nagoya, where I dove into the maelstrom that is Nagoya JR Station.

Armed with a duly endorsed JR Pass, I was ready to criss-cross the country for a week. First I had to find the correct platform for the train to Matsumoto where I was to meet Susan and Choo. They had flown into Tokyo. I had already been coached by Susan to reserve a seat on the train even though I could just jump on any train with my Pass.

Rolling through the Kiso Valley and then into the Japan alps, I arrived in Matsumoto, to be surprised by the many new buildings in the vicinity of the Station. I also discovered that a music festival directed by Seiji Ozawa was taking place. Too late! All the tickets had long been sold out.

Being a member of Toyoko Inn has its privileges: one can have early check-in and special daily discounts. This had a significant effect on our accommodation budget. We subsequently stayed in Toyoko Inns in Kanazawa and Gifu. We came to expect rooms comfortably catering to all the needs of travellers. Lonely Planet seems to think that the rooms are small, but I felt very comfortable in all of them.

From Matsumoto, we visited Kamikochi, then headed for the "Alpine Route" to Murodo where we stayed in a ryokan high up in the mountains. We descended to the coast the next day and spent 2 nights in Kanazawa. Gifu Hashima was our HQ for the rest of the week. From here we visited Magome-Tsumago and Takayama.

The week's travel was just perfect, and it was such a pleasant surprise to discover myriad walking tracks in Japan. I will be back...