JR Kyushu Hotel Kagoshima

... not have English signs. I could ask somebody for directions. I would try to notice more landmarks. I would not panic. I decided to start again with the streets that had English street signs, and to assume that the hotel location was signified by the big black box on the map, and not the circle with the letter T inside it. I was a half-block past where the hotel should have been if the alleys had been shown on my map ...

... into that here. I will say though that, although the bases no doubt serve an important purpose for U.S. interests in the Far East, they are a contemporary expression of the military tragedies of the past that have befallen this beautiful island. If you want to get a more graphic and political view of the impact of these bases, read "Sorrows of Empire" by Chalmers Johnson. <br><br>Our first stop was at a re-creation of a traditional Ryukyu village. Ryukyu (if I didn't ...

... any pictures to upload of this eerie and fascinating place as my camera battery was drawn down and I was forced to use an old-fashioned disposable film camera. I've been in caves before but the stalactites and stalagmites and the underground stream that runs through this one are just beautiful. This cave was well worth the visit.<br><br>One of the most sobering places that we visited was the Himeyuri Monument. This was an area in which Okinawan school girls that ...

... this though, I probably would not have noticed this at all -- the signs that this prefecture is a bit behind others are subtle. A shabby building here, some litter in a river there -- things that one tends not to see to such a degree in other parts of the country. Nonetheless, this is quite a nice place and definitely a sub-tropical paradise.<br><br>We will definitely see a lot more of rural Okinawa over ...

... a walk to the playground in her extreme stroller. She and another very little girl played on the slides as we and the girl's parents raced around trying to keep them from falling. It was actually not a very toddler-friendly playground, as we had to scale a hill to get up there and navigate the stroller down a staircase to leave. Back at the house, we packed up everything, getting ready to say goodbye to Okinawa in the morning.

... from the Chinese Fu dogs. They are a pair or lion-like dogs that sit on top of houses or in front of them. The one on the left, the female, has its mouth shut to keep in all of the good things. The one on the right, the male, is roaring to scare away the bad. Shisa dogs are everywhere; many of my souvenirs are shisa-themed.<br><br>After walking through the village, we made a pitstop at the Oceanic Cultures Museum, which ...

... of my still-tender toe, but I just pointed to it and tried to explain, and so the lady doing my feet avoided it except to paint it. It was extremely relaxing- the little girl across from us completely conked out. I chose jasmine oil to help me recover from my fatigue, and opted for some nail art to try to blend in more in Asia.<br><br>Unfortunately when we left the nail salon, it was pouring, so we slipped along the road in our massage oil-covered flip flops. Then when we ...

... back street. After ringing the bell, the inn keeper came out to check me in. The inn was of course a big letdown from the precious nights palace with the private outdoor bath but is cost 66% less and the inn keeper was very friendly and showed me on the map where to go. I didn't have an exact plan but headed up the hill pass the ruins of the castle to have a good view of the city and Sakurajima which a big volcano across the bay. The weather was hazy so I didn't ...

... through the trees, meaning that I`d finished the walked and as an added bonus, I`d lived to tell the tale. I still had another 13km to go though until I reached the train station, a distance that I could have covered in a lot less time had I done a bit more hitch-hiking, but the sun was shining again and it was very peaceful, so I just decided to continue walking and walking, and finished things off with a sprint to get the 7.14pm train back to Kagoshima. What a day!