Hotel Union Kagoshima

... päässä kotoa! :-)

Niin, tämä reissu Tokiosta Kagoshimaan oli kokonaisuudessaan melkein tuhat kilometriä, vaati neljä junanvaihtoa ja kyllä nyt on istumalihakset kipeänä, siis hyvät ihmiset sentään! Kaikista junista, tämä viimeinen (Tsubame Shinkansen) oli ehkä hienoin ja viihtyisin. Lyhin vaihtoaika oli ainoastaan 3 minuuttia ja pisin 7, että siinä ei todellakaan ollut aikaa asemalla ihmetellä, vaan oli mentävä tuli persuuksissa! Onneksi osaan Hiraganat ja Katakanat nyt jo ...

GETTING LOST

I arrived in Kagoshima, and had a pleasant walk friom the train station to the area where my hotel is located. I had been warned by a tripadvisor.com review that the hotel has a narrow street frontage and is easy to pass by and miss. Then my difficulties began--I realized that every map I had showed south at the top, and that I had gone two blocks in the wrong direction. After correcting for that, my ...

... Weg zum Sandbad, haben wir auch noch einige gesehen. Kätzchen waren dort auch, eins hatte eine offene Kehle und einen gebrochenen Fuß, arme neko.

Dann haben wir uns auf zum Sandbaden gemacht und festgestellt das das wie in Dörfern bei uns ist, da grüßt auch jeder jeden (vor allem die älteren Leute haben uns immer freundlich gegrüßt) - das gilt ja am Berg auch (letztes Jahr bei der Misen-yama besteigung hat uns auch jeder gegrüßt). Beim Sandbad angekommen rein in die Yukata und zack ...

... auch anders auffassen kann und hab noch "ich kaufe es" nachgerufen, was sie scheinbar nicht gehört hat)und holt dann eins raus und schneidet es in zwei teile und gibt es uns. Dann packt sie eins ein und reicht es uns und ich gleich "nein passt schon, wir haben ja schon eins" - ja aber die hat es uns dann doch aufgedrängt - Peinlich Peinlich - und der Spott folgte sofort von Andi - "Jaa diese Gaijins immer so aufdringlich alles wollen sie sich erschnorren, schrecklich sowas...."

... are waiting to bury you in the sand. All you can see as you make your way to the beach are heads sticking out of the sand wrapped in turbans - very bizarre. As the area is volcanic, the sand can reach temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius so you're only recommended to lie there for 10 minutes. The experience itself was really weird but nothing compared to the baths (known as an Onsen - for bathing not swimming!) when you go back in and which I really hadn't ...

... the l*rgest cities on the southern J*p*nese isl*nd of Kyushu *nd is the c*pit*l of the K*goshim* prefecture. We pulled in *t *bout 9 in the morning *nd *ll the surveyors were given * d*y's le*ve on shore. This w*s perfect bec*use we h*d been out there surveying for *lmost two solid weeks since out l*st d*y in port *nd things were st*rting to get edgy. Like N*vy boys on * 24-hour shore p*ss we set out to c*use h*voc wherever we went. The b*ck deck m*n, Phil set off on his roller bl*des ...

... had to get up early the next morning to catch our flight to Tokyo, we had an early night. I was exhausted but at the same time very content as I had the opportunity to experience Yakushima , introduce Caryn to Japan and spend quality time with colleagues at work. I want to give special thanks to Takeda-san, Kagawa-san , Iida-san and Ohma-san though for all the arrangements as without them my vacation would not have been as special.

... bit hard for me to swallow. Before I finish off, I must mention a very important fact about Japan: the public toilets. They are NASA-engineered, AI driven super-machines catering to your every nether-region need! If from Canada, you will appreciate the heated seats, particularly coming in from the outside in the winter or waking up in the middle of the night... let me tell you, there is nothing more inviting than a warm toilet seat. In addition we ...

... the mainland. At the Kagoshima port, we took a ferry to Sakurajima. Then we enjoyed walking to Karasujima observatory on the Lava Nagisa Boardwalk which had a lot of lavas along the way. I took a bath in the public bathhouse with a view of the sea. We were fully satisfied with the island. However, on the ferry to the mainland, I realized we were next to late for our flight, but fortunately, the departure was delayed and so we barely made it.

... in the wall. The only downside to that place was that the TV required money to operate (probably a good thing, given the lack of anything decent on Kagoshima's stations). Dave has developed a strange habit of putting money in for the TV, and then leaving the room immediately afterwards for a shower or to do No.2. "I do it for the ambience", he said. Our previous host at Minshuku Kajita had said she was friends with Nakazono-san so we asked him about her. He just replied ...