February 11th 2005
On that friday, Andy and I went to Kyushu (the southern island of Japan) with our mates Nick (UK)and
Nick (AUS). We had a blast taking the bullet train there and wandering around
Fukuoka, which is one of the biggest cities in Kyushu. It's a very
modern city with tall buildings and neon lights and a huge shopping
mall that looks like a replica of the hanging gardens of Babylon. At
night, fairy lights adorned the terraces and it was an amazing sight.
We had some wonderful food there - Hakata ramen - which was a bowl of
broth, kind of creamy with sesame seeds and a sesame base to it, with a
massive helping of thin noodles that seemed really fresh with a hint of
egg, mmmmmm!!!! It's a famous dish there, and it's sold in little
'yatais' which are big stalls set up all along the river - wooden
structures with sliding doors and a counter, red lanterns hanging
outside with smells of broth, soup, seafood and fried delicacies
filling the air and forming a light mist. The owners stood outside and
beckoned us in, or gestured to a table outside by a heater and some
miniscule wooden chairs and stools. Everyone said hello and chatted
with us as we ate and took numerous pictures. It was a truly astounding
experience and I have really fond memories of the 2 days we were there.
Of course all we did was eat, walk around, eat, walk around.... to soak
up the culture of this vibrant and friendly place - fantastic!
On
the Sunday we went to Beppu, which is the most famous place in Japan
for 'onsen' or hot springs. We took a bus to the 'jigoku' or 'hells' -
the hot springs that you can't possibly bathe in as they are too hot.
One was called 'the sea' because it was a beautiful cobalt blue with
hundreds of wisps of white steam coming off it. Charming gardens and
trees surrounded it making it a stunning tourist spot. It's 200 meters
deep and emerged 1200 years ago after a volcanic explosion. After that
we visited 'the blood pool', as the clay is steaming hot to the point
where the steam is red. It's Japan's oldest natural 'hell' and is 78
degrees. There were 9 to see, but all agreed that those were the best
and as time was an issue, we went back to the hotel. I booked a private
bath while all the lads had a doze, as our hotel had it's own natural
hot spring. Oh my gosh! It was really hot, but very therapeutic and
invigorating! My skin was tingling all over and several times I had to
climb out and just sit on the edge.
That night we went to a
famous restaurant for seafood. The raw fish was so delectable that I
couldn't stop eating it, and the boys were in heaven. I had to be quick
with my chopsticks to get a bite! We had lots of different kinds of
fish, raw horsemeat, fried chicken, cooked beef in a pepper sauce and
some cooked chicken with basil. Wonderful!
The next day we had
to pack up and go home - so rather than take 2 trains and be home in 6
and a half hours, we decided to fly! It was cheaper and much faster! It
was a run to the bus stop (literally) to catch the bus to Oita airport,
and then we boarded one of the tiniest planes I've ever seen! It was 40
minutes to Osaka and the views were fabulous. We could see all the
islands between Kyushu and Shikoku, and then the bulk of Shikoku with
all it's mountains, rivers and cities spread out before us like toys
waiting to be moved. The houses looked like lego blocks and it was all
so colourful. After landing in Osaka, we took a bus to our station and
were home (in 3 and a half hours!). It was a fun, exhausting and
exhilarating trip that I was thoroughly happy I'd undertaken.
