Hot air and calming water

We left the hustle and bustle and headed west, to Kyushu island. Kyushu is not big on the tourist trail but has much to offer by way of scenery and a gentler pace.

First up was Fukuoka, still a big city, but more relaxed. Perfect timing as the cherry blossom reached its apex along with all the accompanying traditions - Sakura fairs, pink everything, looking for that perfect shot and above all, a time to hang out with your family and friends. So many picnics in cherry blossom parks, outings in traditional finery, visiting the richly adorned temples.

In Fukuoka, as in many other places, the cat is king - these signs in a single street and another delightful one just encountered!

As we move around the country the pace slackens, the English signs and anouncements become fewer and the food more challenging. Above all though the over-arching feeling is of helpfulness, calm, friendly laughing faces and a sense of order. More and more we are exposed to the Japanese dynamics of family values, respect, cleanliness (so calming with everywhere so tidy, where people automatically clear up after themsevles - to the extent that there are no public rubbish bins, everyone takes it home with them).
Of course, like the rest of the world, the Japanese will not be without their own issues and challenges but the calmness and

orderliness is a soothing balm in the current global upheaval that is being thrust upon us all.

In one of our forays into Japanese culture we came across this deity - seems like the ideal chap to have around!
Fudō Myō-ō, is a central figure in Japanese Buddhism, representing immovable wisdom and protection against evil. He is the central deity of the five Myō-ō and is revered as a fearsome guardian, often depicted with a sword and rope to subdue evil spirits and cut through ignorance and (self) deception.

We had planned to hire a car for our trip around rural Kyushu, but needed international driving permits, easily obtained in your own country but another victim of the ‘no time for a plan’ approach. In fact I’ve come to the conclusion that planning in tbe comfort of your own home is infinitely better than planning as you go. Times have changed; 40 years ago we booked nothing in advance, just rocked up with fingers crossed. Now competition for rooms and tickets is so much greater and you really do need some concrete reservations. The first few weeks in Osaka saw much time devoted to reading, checking, booking not only this fortnight but also the subsequent 3 weeks in the Okinawan islands, a visit to Expo 2025 and a 7 day hike.

Without a car, our trip looked challenging, with some remote places and limited public transport. In the end however, the small trains

took us where we wanted, connecting with bigger trains and buses even where there was only one possible through route a day. it was great to get to the more remote places, a chance to see more of the real Japan away from tourist sites. After the splendour of the cherry blossom in Fukuoka,, our next stop was the small town of Usuki where the drawcards were the 700 year old stone carved Buddhas sitting serenely in a quiet wood. Most of Kyushu is basically a series of volcanoes and seismic activity. Both Fukuoka which we had left, and Kumamoto which we were soon to visit had recently been victims (in 2016) of a massive earthquake, and in between sat the massive crater of Mt Aso. The Aso region consists of the crater ( about 10 miles wide by 15 miles ) and inside it several villages plus 3 volcanoes. Dramatic scenery and a chance to finally walk up some hills. Our plan to look down into the massive Mt Nakadake crater was thwarted by the combination of usual suplhuric gas being emitted (it’s still very much an active volcano) and the wind being in the wrong direction. Wow, did it catch you in the back of the throat, Noxious and choking; time to bid a hasty retreat.

With volcanoes comes hot water, and many springs with

healing properties; sulhuric, ferrous, chloride, sulfate. The pretty onsen town of Kurokawa had more hot baths than you could manage in a week. I was keen to try - and much to my surprise Cliff expressed a wish to visit more too. It’s quite hard to pick from so many and it’s a bit of a lonely pastime when the areas are quite enclosed and you’re the only person in the pool (very much ‘his’ and ‘hers’ here, though often they are mixed). i did feel very relaxed afterwards and thankfully not too wrinkly. Looking forward to some more experiences and better vistas as we progress northwards.

Onwards to lovely Kumamoto which has recovered well from the 2016 quake, though the lovely castle took a big hit. The renovation plans stretch to 2052…. Quite a lot has already been accomplished, though there’s a lot of wall repairs to come.
For me, one of the nicest things about Kumamoto was that you could walk for miles through the centre, along the river and through the parks. With cherry blossom still very much in evidence and the trees bursting into lime green life it was a delightful few days.

Onwards again to Kagoshima on the very SW tip and dominated by… yes, a huge volcano, Sakurajima. Also very active, the town is not the place to be when the wind is in the wrong direction. Fortunately the winds were on our side. Again a town with lovely gardens and big on history too. Many battles were fought here and many local people are heros in Japanese eyes for their roles in the Meiji restoration which laid the foundations of modern Japan.