Kumamoto Day 1- Kumamoto Castle, 熊本城
Early in the morning, we hopped onto the relay-Tsubame at Hakata JR station bound for our next destination in Kyushu, Kumamoto prefecture. Hakata station in Fukuoka, being the biggest JR station, with its strategic location, connects Kyushu to the rest of Japan in Honshu. It also serves as the main gateway to the rest of Kyushu. It is thus much more convenient to proceed directly to Kumamoto than if we were to make a detour back to Nagasaki first.
The relay Tsubame is not actually the bullet train or shinkansen (新幹線) even though it does resemble one. It's known as limited express trains or 特急電車 which means that generally they make lesser stops, are faster than the average trains but do not quite cost as much as the shinkansen. Unlike our usual image of a grey and old boring looking train, these limited express JR trains in Kyushu are all fancifully named and trains bound for different places have their own unique look and characteristics.
In slightly under 1.5 hours, we reached JR Kumamoto station. It was a quaint looking old style building and the minute we stepped off the train, I certainly sensed a very different atmosphere as compared to Fukuoka. The people seemed a lot less hurried, the accent sounded rather different (then again, Japanese does sound different wherever you go in this country). The first thing that caught my eyes were all the stores,posters and pamphlets advertising Kumamoto's most famous delicacy, basashi, 馬刺!And for the unintiated, yes it's like sashimi which are fish eaten raw but the Kumamoto people relish raw horse meat. It's one thing eating horses and to eat it raw is another story all together, yikes! When i said these horse meat selling shops are everywhere in this prefecture, i am not exaggerating at all!!
As we only had a short time in the city before catching the train to a hot spring town near Mount Aso where our accomodation for the night is located, we headed straight to the city's most famed site, the Kumamoto Castle. It seems to me the Japanese have a fetish for ranking everything in the country. The top 10 night view, best 3 udons, the 3 grandest festivals etc. As it is, the Kumamoto Castle, together with the Himeji and Osaka castles are ranked the 3 greatest castles in Japan. Unlike their western counterparts who generally preserve the castles in their most original form, those in Japan are really museums within and most of their interiors are newly refurbished. Exhibits ranging from samurai swords, kitchen cutlery and models of the castle grounds reflecting the early history of the city can be viewed there. Alvin was expecting something ancient and exciting but was nevertheless impressed by the beautiful architecture of the castle.
The train ride to our onsen ryokan (温泉旅館) was longer than i expected. Luckily i packed us some food and drinks along the way.
Alvin enjoying a cuppa at Mr. Donut. That's me having oolong tea with the delightful Kumamoto Ikinari dango or dumpling with sweet potato filling.
When we finally dropped off at this little local station in the middle of nowhere, the sky was already dark and we were both exhausted from the long journey and the heavy bags we've been lugging around since the morning. Hence an ice-cream break at the nearby Lawsons was much needed before we could trudge onto to our pit stop for the night- Asonoyu!
Fukuoka here we come!
I took 3 hours of leave (yes, you can take by the hours here) and left school earlier on Wed, 18th Oct to catch the afternoon ferry to Nagasaki city. Arrived in the evening and headed straight for a haircut which turned out to be surprisingly affordable at only 2100yen though it was nothing to really shout about. Spent the night at Ellie's place (the Canadian-Japanese ALT) before taking the first bus at 6am to Fukuoka to pick Alvin up at the airport, whose flight was scheduled to arrive at 8 in the morning. Or at least that was my original plan.
As i waited and my bus failed to appear even when the clock said 5:55am, i realised that i must have been waiting at the wrong place. The bus station that i was supposed to board from is called 駅の前ターミナル (Terminal in front of the station) so i simply assumed that it's right at the station only to be told that buses to Fukuoka actually leave from the terminal opposite the station! Shouldn't they name it 駅の向いターミナル or something to the like? I did not had time to give that much a thought before dashing across the overhead bridge, with Ellie slightly in front of me as she did not have to carry a heavy backpack around. Knowing the Japanese knack for following a time schdule down to the seconds, i know inside me that i could not make it on time for the first bus.
So it was with thumping heart that i enquired if i could take the second bus even though there was no reservation made. And i was so relieved to find out that they are quite flexible about the situation as long as they have enough seats to accomodate. As such I boarded the second bus at 630am and bade farewell to a tired Ellie. Unlike the first bus which actually make a stop at Fukuoka International airport, the second one simply stopped at Fukuoka bus terminal which meant that i had to get off and changed to subway before i can reach the airport. All this just meant that i would be really late in arriving at the airport and poor Alvin would be 'stranded' there for at least an hour if not longer, wondering where in the world his girlfriend was as he stepped out into the arrival hall anticipating a warm welcome.
After three and half mind-griping hours, i finally arrived at the airport at 930am, a good one and half hour after the plane landed. As i scanned the hall anxiously, i saw this guy nodding off in a corner with a huge luggage by his side. There was no mistaking it this time round! And such was the beginning of our exciting Kyushu trip =)
The first stop was Dazaifu Tenmangu, a shrine venerated by the Japanese throughout the country as the God of Scholarship or Literature. Students typically visit Dazaifu around exam seasons to pray for good results for their entrance examinations.
As with most tourist places in Japan, the stretch of road leading to the main attraction is generally lined with shops selling foodstuff, local sweets packaged in the most fanciful ways imaginable and many other stores selling cute Japanesey souvenirs. The street was nice but it was not quite as compatible as the nakamise-dori to the Kaminari-mon at Asakusa in Tokyo. If you've been to Asakusa, you will know what i mean.
Stores in the shrine selling お守り which are little amulets that people usually buy and keep as good luck charm.
Alvin enjoying an ice-cream or what they called soft cream :) It was really tough deciding on which flavor to choose from but I finally settled on ume or plum flavor while Alvin had strangely opted for macha even though i couldn't really remember him being much of a green tea person. Anyhow, both tasted really great!
Night scene in Fukuoka.
As both of us were tired from travelling the day before, we took our first day at an easy pace and enjoyed the sights and sound of the bustling city and each other's company. Afterall, we there were still much more travelling to be done on day 2 when we would be headed to "the Land of Fire", Kumamoto!
A Nothing in Particular day
Gosh! I know it's been a long time since i last posted anything but i didn't realised it's really been that long until i finally signed in again and saw the date to my most 'recent' post, 13th October!
The whirlwind of activities had subsided with the return of all my much anticipated visitors. The day i sent off my parents at Fukuoka airport and returned to an empty house in Narao was probably my saddest day on the island. There had been simply too much company for the past month or so, loads of activities and laughter in the house and travelling around Kyushu together that it was a sharp contrast when i stepped into a quiet house once more after more than a month.
It was a little tough getting used to being alone again initially but i was glad i recovered fast. In fact my life is pretty much back to the days when i just arrived on the island minus all the anxiety and uncertainties. At least this time round, i did not have to get used to a new environment and house all over again. It helps that i am more familiar with job scope and my responsibilities at the various schools so all in all it feels much more settled and comfortable now.
It's Labor Thanksgiving Day,just what i needed most. As it had been raining since the night before, the weather's quite cool today. Just the perfect kind of day to stay home and catch up on some much needed rest. Cleaned my house, hang out some washed clothes to dry and made myself this wonderfully filling brunch.
It wasn't a particularly eventful day but i was just happy to be chatting with friends over msn again and emailing some others. Shocked an ex-colleague in Citi when i called her at workplace, only to discover it was IPB's annual D&D again. It didn't feel like that long time ago since i last attended D&D but that is the way it is, time just seems to fly by too quickly, especially when you are having a good time.
As it was also another good friend's birthday, i decided to surprise her by calling only to be surprised in return. Yes, another friend getting married! That would mean 3 weddings of very important people awaiting me next year.How could i not head home at the rate people are getting married like this? :P
And so in the evening,i resumed my yoga session again after stopping for more than a month. As the days are getting shorter and colder, it gets really tedious jogging outside so I resolute to at least do some simple stretching and sun salutation series indoor everyday. Well, exercise had never felt that good and it was with amazement everytime i am done with yoga just how much stretches can alleviate stiff shoulder and a general sense of lethargy.
Dinner consisted of heating up various dishes that my mom cooked for me before leaving the island. As i scooped out the lotus root soup that i know was brewed with love and savoured them slowly while watching some MTVs over youtube, curiously it was one of the most happy and satisfying feeling one can ever asked for. Such simple are joy at times.
As i was about to prepare to turn in for the night, after many hours of hanging out in front of my computer, my aunt in the States caught me online and we chatted over Skype for a while. It was Thanksgiving in the States and she was up early to prepare for the day. Aunt asked about mom's trip to Japan and I managed to catch Cris cris making funny faces over webcam. Arrhh...the wonders of Internet!
I know i should really be updating about my trips and uploading pictures now than boring people with a recount of my nothing in particular day. The inertia to pick up from where i stopped proved to be overwhelming. Maybe i am really not the really blogging sort, i feel lazy to start. However the knowledge that friends out there do check this blog regularly is enough motivation to keep it going. As promised, updates and photos will be on the way, soon!
The relay Tsubame is not actually the bullet train or shinkansen (新幹線) even though it does resemble one. It's known as limited express trains or 特急電車 which means that generally they make lesser stops, are faster than the average trains but do not quite cost as much as the shinkansen. Unlike our usual image of a grey and old boring looking train, these limited express JR trains in Kyushu are all fancifully named and trains bound for different places have their own unique look and characteristics.
Alvin enjoying a cuppa at Mr. Donut. That's me having oolong tea with the delightful Kumamoto Ikinari dango or dumpling with sweet potato filling.
When we finally dropped off at this little local station in the middle of nowhere, the sky was already dark and we were both exhausted from the long journey and the heavy bags we've been lugging around since the morning. Hence an ice-cream break at the nearby Lawsons was much needed before we could trudge onto to our pit stop for the night- Asonoyu!
