Tokyo, on the way home

 Tuesday, June 3, was a long travel day. I got up quite early and drove to Kumamoto in time to return the car by about 9am. I was a couple hours early, but I was able to change my train tickets to earlier times. First was the 40 minute ride from Kumamoto to Fukuoka, then the 5 hour ride to Tokyo. I spent the time reading and dozing, so it went by pretty fast. I checked into the hotel near Haneda Airport before 6pm. I had eaten sandwiches on the train, but there was a little bar beside the lobby so I had a beer and read some more before going to bed.

Wednesday I woke up early, about 6am, and went down to the hotel restaurant where a great buffet breakfast was included. After breakfast I took a nap and a bit of a walk. Then I took the train to Shibuya, the very popular shopping area. I was there when I was in Tokyo before but was pouring rain and I got totally lost.

This day was sunny and I spent time walking around to familiarize myself the area. The density and hustle and bustle of the area was still overwhelming  but I saw some interesting shops and an art gallery. There are lots and lots of restaurants.

I found another one of those capsule toy stores I first saw in Fukuoka. They are all the rage with young people in Japan right now. There are rows of machines, each with a certain theme like a TV show. You put in a few 100 yen (a few dollars), and you randomly get one of the clear plastic spheres with the little toy inside.

Overlooking the famous Shibuya scramble are skyscrapers where part of the side has been turned into a giant TV screen.

There is a famous story in Japan from the early 1900s about a dog named Hachiko. He met his owner, a professor, at the train station every day after work. One day the professor died in an accident, but Hachiko kept going to the station every day for the rest of his life. The story captured the hearts of everyone, and there is a statue of Hachiko beside Shibuya station. However every time I've been in Tokyo, for over 10 years, there has been a construction fence around the square so I assumed I couldn't see the statue. But this time I discovered a nook in the fence where the statue was. There a long line of people waiting to get their picture taken with it. Between people I managed to get a picture of the statue itself.

Next I decided to go back to the T.Y. Harbour area. Again I was there the last time I was in Tokyo but it was pouring rain. It is a nice area with canals and parks and walkways, and it is a quiet break from the bustle of Shibuya. I stopped for a beer again at the brewery there.

From there I took the monorail back to the area of my hotel. It passes through a kind of desolate area of office and apartment buildings. Kind of like a 1960's vision of the future that didn't quite work out.

At the hotel I ended up talking  with people at the bar until quite late.

On Thursday my flight was not until 10pm, so I arranged for a late check-out and tried to nap as much as I could. Still got to the airport quite early. Lots of time to read.

At the airport, in the large hallway along the departure lounges, there was this automated chair that went along for anyone to use.

Around Aso

 On Saturday, May 31, I checked out of the hotel and took the train to Kumamoto, a medium sized city less than an hour by high speed train south of Fukuoka. 

At Kumamoto I picked up the rental car. I was very nervous, this being my first time driving in Japan, and on the other side of the road. Also, I am not used to the new cars so when I got in, I didn't know how anything worked. They guy from the rental agency was very patient, and hooked up the Google Maps on my phone to the car's navigation system.

Actually driving on the other side of the road was easy to get used to. The hard part was the fact that the driver's seat is on the right side of the car instead of the left. At first I kept driving way to far in the left of my lane. Then I realized that I was trying to keep my point of view of the lane the same as what I was used to, instead of what it is when seated on the right. Once I realized what I was doing, it got better.

Navigating through the city was very difficult. The roads often take slight bends so I would turn when I wasn't supposed to, or not turn when I should have. The navigation kept saying "re-routing". Even a city like Kumamoto seemed to go forever, but eventually I was on country roads and it got easier.

I reached my hotel about 1pm, too soon to check in, so I drove straight up to Mt. Aso. There is one parking lot with restaurants and the Mt. Aso museum, in front of the green dome of  the highest peak of Mt. Aso, called Takadake. Here is a picture of Takadake. from my hotel.

From the first parking lot there are hiking trails and walks along the base of the mountain. From there you get views of the next highest peak, Nakadake, which has the active volcanic crater in front of it.

Driving a few more minutes takes you to the road that goes up to the crater. Because the gas from the crater is quite toxic and acidic, the entrance is carefully controlled depending on the gaseous activity and the wind. I drove up to the parking lot next to the crater area. At first the walkway to the crater itself was closed, but it opened soon after I arrived. The walkway looks kind of surreal with these concrete shelters that I guess are used when the wind changes.

I went along with everyone to the carter's edge, but I found the gas to still be quite strong. My eyes and throat got a bit sore and a lot of people were coughing, so I only stayed long enough to take a couple of pictures.

A few minutes walk from the crater area is a large flat area of black volcanic sand. There are hiking trails here that go up to the peaks.

I went back to the hotel and checked in, and walked around. It is an interesting area, inside one of the world's largest calderas - basically the remains of a huge, ancient volcano that collapsed in on itself. The result is a flat, agricultural basin full of fields and rice paddings surrounded by a ring of hills, with Mt. Aso to one side.

It was already near dusk when I was walking, and by a field I saw a Japanese racoon-dog, or Tanuki.

 The town of Aso is very small and there are few restaurants, even fewer that are open late.  The hotel has a nice common area with a microwave and coffee and tea. There is a grocery store beside the hotel and several people were preparing food. By then the store was closed, so I drove for a while to find a restaurant.

On Sunday, June 1, I drove to Takachiho Gorge, in Miyazaki Prefecture about 2 hours south of Aso. The drive was beautiful, going over the mountainous side of the caldera, over to the next valley. Winding through the green hills with views of fields and mountains.

Takashi Gorge is a popular tourist attraction, and it is about a 15 minute walk along the gorge one way from the parking lot. It was a sunny day so the views of the blue water of the gorge were amazing. 

Afterwards I drove back to Aso, and then to a to a public bath in a little onsen town about 6 km north of Aso called Uchinomaki.

On Monday, June 2, I got up early and drove to the famous Kurokawa Onsen town about an hour north of Aso. It was cloudy and the forecast was for a lot of rain later in the day.

Again the drive was very interesting, winding up the hills of the caldera, with views of the fields in the basin below.

Once on top of the edge of the caldera the landscape was rolling green hills. It is all part of Aso-Kuju National Park.

Kurokawa Onsen has about 30 ryokan, or Japanese inns, that have onsen, or hotsprings, inside them. At the information center you can buy a pass that gets you into any 3 onsen. In the town there are a couple of cafes and restaurants and shops selling local specialties. The town is on a steep slope beside the river, and the onsen are kind of spread out, so there is a fair amount of walking.

I spent the morning there. After a coffee I went to a couple of onsen. Then had lunch and went to the third. At first, when it was still quite early, things were just opening up. At the first onsen I was the only one there so I took a picture.

Then I drove back to the hotel. It started raining so I stayed inside to read, and pack for the travel day the next day.

Last week at school in Fukuoka

 On Monday, May 26,  I found out about a craft beer festival in Fukuoka, and in the evening I went to check it out. It was near the lively Akasaka region. It seemed a bit strange, but it was inside a plain empty room on the 2nd floor overlooking the lobby of a normal office building. When I got there, there was a line-up to get in, but it moved quickly. About 100 people. For about $40 you got some snacks and a cup. There were a dozen or so stalls a different craft beers from Kyushu and other parts of Japan.

I was the only non-Japanese person there. The fun thing was that after everyone had a few beers they were talkative and I got to practice more Japanese.

Tuesday was the first day of a calligraphy exhibit at the Art Museum. My teacher in Kyoto had told me about it and I went to see it. Over 100 pieces in this annual exhibition of selected works from around Japan. It was interesting to see not just the different calligraphy styles, but also the creative use of different sized characters on the same work, or unusual placement on the paper, or characters drawn in such a way that they resembled pictures of something.

On Wednesday I went for another run in Ohori Park.

On Thursday, May 29, the school organized a conversation group with local Japanese.

Friday was the last day at the school. For those leaving that week, there is a 'graduation ceremony' where we get a certificate and say a little speech. It must a bit strange for the teachers, every week saying goodbye to some of the people you've been having classes with for 3 hours every day.

When some people of a class are leaving that week, we take a picture of the class. Here is one from a couple of weeks ago, and one from this week.

After the graduation ceremony, a couple of us went for lunch. Then I just went back to the hotel to start packing, then out for a beer and dinner.

Third week of school at Fukuoka

 The third week in Fukuoka was May 19 to 25. As usual there is a 3 hour class every morning, Monday to Friday, and 3 days a week I have private lesson for 2 hours in the afternoon. The private lesson is mainly conversation practice.

Monday afternoon, the school booked a space for a barbecue party. It was at an interesting location: part of a rooftop parking lot that has been blocked off and filled with tables and bbq's. 

It seems popular, and our group from the school was over 15 people that took a couple of tables.

On Tuesday and Thursday after the private lesson I went for a run around Ohori Park.

Wednesday afternoon, in addition to the private lesson, the school organized a 'Kanji Marathon', in which each of the students chose a level (I chose N3). The marathon consisted of rounds of study followed by a quiz.

On Friday the school organized a trip for tea ceremony, or 'Chado'. It was about 20 minutes walk from the station. The building was part temple, part tea ceremony school, and part residence for the 3 generations of family that taught and performed tea ceremony.

First we saw the ceremony and we're served sweets and matcha tea.

Next we were each given a whisk and a bowl of tea and taught how to whip the tea into a froth.

The family seemed very happy to have us there and they showed us around the place and their beautiful little garden.

Friday evening I went for dinner with several other students.

Also on Friday, I moved to the next hotel, a couple of more subway stops from the school. It's actually interesting to stay in different neighborhoods of the city.

Saturday it poured rain. It was especially heavy in the morning and a bit lighter in the afternoon. In the morning I went to the Fukuoka Art Museum. Very interest works of Japanese artists in a kind post-impressionist or modern style. There were also several works of famous European and American artists. 

An interesting part of the gallery was called Shigenkai, which promoted local artists. Fukuoka has a program to promote the arts, called Fukuoka Next. I've also noticed several buildings of art studios around town, so it seems Fukuoka is an artist-friendly place.

Next to the art museum, in Ohori park, was an installation called Artist Cafe that was held in what looked like an old school. One of the exhibitions used strings of LEDs in a dark room to simulate falling rain, which was very cool.

Next to Ohori Park, in Maizuru Park, there was a curry festival going on that weekend. Despite the rain there was a fair number of people. I had a couple of dishes.

From there I took the subway a few more stops away from the center. I walked to Momiji Hachimangu Shrine.

From there, despite the weather, I walked to Momochi Seaside Park, which has a fairly large beach, beach house with showers etc., and large building on the water with restaurants, etc. It is also near the Fukuoka Tower. There were some young people playing volleyball. I can imagine how busy it must get on a hot day in summer.

I walked back to the nearest subway station and took the subway back to the Ohori Park area, and found a craft beer place nearby called B.R.E.W. where I had beer and dinner.

On Sunday it was cloudy but not raining, and after sleeping in a bit I took the train to a city about an hour away called Yanagawa. It is has canals all through the city and so is called the 'Venice of Japan'.

I had just arrived at the station in Yanagawa when I bumped into Samuel, another student at JaLs. He is from Hong Kong, and he was with a friend visiting from Germany. The three of us spent the day together in Yanagawa. We took the gondola boat ride along some of the canals, on a boat with about a dozen people. Beautiful views of the canals and the city, and under some very low bridges.

There were walking paths and little parks along the canals. Yanagawa struck me as a beautiful, very livable little city.

After the boat ride we walked around the town, mostly along canals, and stopped at the Mihashira Shrine.

Then we went to a restaurant for eel, for which Yanagawa is supposed to be famous.

Then the train back to Fukuoka. After we arrived I went my own way, and found a craft beer place near the station called Beerkichi, where I had beer and dinner.

Afterwards while walking to the subway station I passed a street musician - a young girl from Hokkaido who performed her own songs. Her name was Jun and she was so good I had to record some of it.

 

Second week of school at Fukuoka

A very busy week at the school and experiencing more of Fukuoka. There are classes for 3 hours every weekday, and I have private lessons for 2 hours 3 times a week. The day of the private lesson gets shifted around sometimes, depending o  activities organized by the school.

On Monday, May 12, the school organized a lunch at a rooftop garden restaurant in a building next to the station. There were at least 15 people or so, and it was a good chance to meet more of the students. The rooftop was very cool and offered some best views of the city I'd seen.

In the evening I went another part of town called Nakasu for the yatai, or food stalls. These yatai were on a walkway along a riverside, and seems to be the most popular area.

A cool thing about the yatai is that the spaces are small so you usually end up chatting with the other people. At one yatai there were Japanese and Koreans, and the Koreans spoke Japanese better than English, and we all chatted in Japanese, with a bit of Google translate, for a couple of hours. Really great time.

Something I found out while talking with students from Taiwan and people from Korea, is that the MBTI is hugely popular in Asian countries right now. Inevitably someone asks me what my personality type is (INFJ).

On Tuesday after class I walked around a bit. There is a huge mall called Canal City in the center of the city. I went to the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, which had works of contemporary artists from Japan, Korea, China, India, and Bali.

In the evening I went to an Engilsh language circle in the co-working area where the school is, for people studying English. They were thrilled to have a native English speaker there so it was fun.

Wednesday, May 14, in the evening the school organized a trip to the yatai in Nakasu. It didn't go late and I made it an early night.

On  Thursday after class I followed a pamplet I found called Art Walk, which described a route from the station to several small art galleries and cafes. There a couple of cafes called Goldflog, where I had a matcha milkshake and a hazelnut latte,  that were very cool spaces.

The walk also gave me different views of Fukuoka.

On Friday, May 16, I moved out of the apartment that the school had found for me,  and checked into a hotel. I didn't mind the fact that the apartment was very old and basic. The neighbourhood was underneath highway overpasses, and there was nothing there but cheap old concrete apartments and businesses. At first I didn't mind, but it got kind of depressing. The critical thing, though, was a very loud, intermittent mechanical noise in the building that went on all night and prevented me from getting a good sleep. After 2 weeks, I decided that in order to really enjoy the remaining 2 weeks in Fukuoka, I had to move.

I found one hotel for 1 week, and another hotel for the next week, and booked them. The first hotel was a little past the Tenjin area, and the adjacent area was very interesting and still the hotel was very quiet. 

On Friday evening I met up with another student, Mukund from the U.K., for dinner. We went to a very good, kind of high end, seafood restaurant called Fish Man, and the dishes were very innovative and very good. While we were there, a magician called Koki Hori came to our table and did an entertaining magic show for a tip - a bit unusual for Japan. 

On Saturday, May 17, I joined the school trip to Dazaifu, a famous shrine about 45 minutes outside the city. From the bus station there is a walk along a street full of tourist shops to the entrance of the shrine itself. 

The shine building itself was like many I'd seen the large garden area around it was especially beautiful.

From the shrine we walked to a nearby temple called Komyozenji with a rock garden.

Near the temple was the restaurant where we had lunch, in a beautiful traditional house.

After lunch we walked back through the shrine grounds and up the path to the Tenkai Inari shrine.

We spent the rest of the day at the Dazaifu Tenmangu Museum, which has displays and artifacts from different historical periods of the area. Then back to Fukuoka by bus.

In Fukuoka I walked back to the hotel. On the way, I passed one of the many British style pubs in Fukuoka and stopped for a Guiness.

I continued walking  through the area before I got to the hotel. It was quite lively. There were street performers playing a song I like from an anime movie. I had dinner at one of those conveyor belt sushi places.

On Sunday, May 18, some students had planned a day trip to a town called Tagawa, about 2 hours away, to catch a big festival. Some couldn't make it and one got sick, so it ended up being just two of us: myself and Anton from the Netherlands.

We met at the bus station Sunday morning and with help from a tourist information place we found the right bus to get on. It seemed the festival was not well known. The bus ride was long, stopping at many small towns along the away. When we got off at the city of the festival it was totally quiet, and we beginning to wonder if there was anything happening. 

After walking a while towards the river and asking a couple of people, we arrived.

The festival is called Kawawatari Jinkosai Festival, and has been going on since the 1500s. It involves 11 huge floats on wheels that are rocked and pushed and pulled across the river.  They start at the shrine grounds and one by one make their way to the river, with a lot of shouting and drumming and cymbal playing. Very, very festive.

The streets are lined with food stalls in true festival fashion.

After getting across the river the floats have to be pushed up a ramp on the other side.

Anton and I were there for several hours and it was a lot of fun. It was almost all local people there. It's surprising the festival is not more well known. One issue might be the difficulty in getting to the town. To take a train back to Fukuoka, we first took a very old diesel train to another small town for about an hour, and the regular JR train to Fukuoka, so it took a couple of hours.

We had dinner at a ramen place in the train station in Fukuoka. There's a section of the station full of ramen places. Then I headed back to the hotel.