Famous for its hot springs (onsens) we thought this would be a nice place to relax after all the hiking in Aso. So after a short train journey we headed to a youth hostel recommended by lonely planet....we had real difficulties finding the place and when we eventually did we discovered it is now a retirement home. We were so knackered that I wou...

Time to slow down and tell you what I did during Golden Week, which occurred in May, but I am including separately because it was a trip to someplace new in Japan. Where did I go? I went to Beppu in Kyushu, the southern island of the main four islands of Japan. Bebbu is known for it hot springs, or onsens, and the 7 Hells! These are various colo...

Last night's dinner with Mr. Uzaki was great. You might notice I write a different name today, I realized that I had been using his first name by mistake. In Japan you usually write the surname followed by the given name on business card, but on the English side of the card they write it in the European manner, a thing I hadn't picked up on. We ...

Our Ryokan in Beppu has an onsen. Not a surprise since Beppu is known for its hot springs, and it is a common vacation spot for Japanese tourists. On Sunday, we took a bus to the Kannawa area to check out the hells (jigoku) which are spots where hot spring pools have been turned into mini amusement parks. We went into the White Pool Hell. It was...

Taking an 8:30 train to Beppu, we arrived 3 hours later, where it was raining and slightly cold. We expected Japan's premiere hot springs resort town to look a little more glitzy, but the place was dead and the shops made Shinimamiya (in Osaka) look like a happening place. Food joints were either closed or outrageously expensive, so we settled f...