I’ve been to Japan before, to Honshu, but have not explored the
southern parts, so this trip was designed at seeing Kyushu. I flew into
Fukuoka as an entry point via Seoul that is a lot cheaper than going to
Nagasaki. My trip had three bases: I used Beppu as a base to see the Hells,
and Usuki, Kagoshima to see Sakaragima (a volcano), Ibosuki (sand baths),
Shiran (the kamikaze museum) and finally Kamomoto for the city itself
and Mt Aso.
Kyushu is nothing like as busy as Honshu and doesn’t seem quite
as affluent. The trains and buses all ran on time. Kyushu is probably
cheaper than Honshu for accommodation – I spent on average £23
a night in mostly Ryokans – good value – and can all be booked
through the Japanese Inn group. There are also far fewer foreigners and
tourists in Kyushu than Honshu.
It's less than a year since I last came through Seoul airport. A
year ago it was a busy, heaving place with all the restaurants and shops
packed out. Today you can go in anywhere and do anything without waiting.
I think SARS is having a big effect. There are lots of people walking
around with masks on, should I have got one I ask myself? There’s
not even much in the shops. I just cannot believe how quiet this airport
is, there's nobody rushing, no announcements, there's only about
10 flights on the departures board.
Arrived in the city with the best 3-letter airport code I know Fukuoka
(FUK)!!! Got the shuttle bus then the ultra efficient metro in to the
city. I was glad that I had my compass to come out of right exit. Then
a 10 min walk to my hotel: very nice, tiny room, probably big for Japan,
but it has a bed, shower, TV and its own ultra efficient kettle, very
handy! Apparently a rice breakfast is included but as I didn’t wake
up till 9am, I missed it! Fukuoka is a big modern city, nobody here has
a mask on there is not much for a tourist to see, it is more of an entry
port.
I took a side trip from Fukuoka to Dazaifu to see a shrine and a couple
of Zen gardens. They are great with all their symbolism. Loads of parties
of school kids going “Herro” i.e. “hello” and “England
number 1”. All of it is good natured, and people have been so helpful:
I had 3 old dears put me on the right train this morning!
Took ages to cash travellers cheques, because they are issued by Barclays
via Sumitomo Bank. This meant that I had to find a Sumitomo Bank to cash
them. It rained yesterday afternoon, so I went to a baseball match in
the Fukuoka Dome, which was fun. I like baseball, and went to lots of
games when I visited the USA. The Japanese cheerleaders are nuts, they
keep up this constant barrage of noise and at 7th inning stretch they
all let off balloons with whistles in – you should hear it! Also visited
the museum of contemporary Asian art, some nice things and some so decidedly
strange that they would not look amiss in the Tate Modern in London!
I’m surviving with the food ok, (Padmassana has been known
to be a bit of a picky eater – the Beetle!) bought some hot
tofu on sticks and stuck them in some bread rolls with my pea crisps for
a picnic today, they even have little pods! KFC etc for major meals. Body
clock not happy, keep waking between 2am-4am, then can’t get back
to sleep till 6am.
Up early today, getting the train to Beppu. Took about 4 hours to get
from Fukuoka to Beppu. Beppu is famous for the Hells. If anyone tells
you Beppu is a “Hell” of a place it’s true! I checked
in at Beppu Hotel and went to the tourist office to ask for directions.
The man at the tourist office took me right to the door. I don’t
think that would happen in London!
The Hells, as I have already said are Beppu’s claim to fame: a
series of hot springs that are different colours due to the underlying
rocks and minerals etc, one is bright red. A 2,000 yen ticket allows you
visit all seven. Some are boiling mud pots, but most are steam. The last
one is a sort of geyser that explodes every 20 minutes. It took me 4 hours
to go round them including a bus ride between two sets.
Did a day trip from Beppu, about an hour and a half by train to visit
some stone Buddhas, dating from the 10th century. You walk up a short
hill and then see lines of Buddhas carved into the hill. These are reputed
to be the best and oldest examples of stone Buddhas in Japan. Also visited
Usuki from Beppu. The town itself is quite nice, has an old street of
houses that are interesting. There was torrential rain, so the rent a
brolly lady was doing a good trade! I am staying in a business type hotel
that has free tea on every floor. I managed to sleep through the night
for the first time since arriving. Despite the weather, another nice day,
a country where you feel safe and the people are fantastic.
In Part 2, Padmassana tells us about Miyazaki and the clay statues and
the journey to Kagoshima. If you would like to contact Padmassana to ask
him about his time in Japan, he can be e-mailed on: Padmassana
