Tsuruya Aso

This charming village may be a highlight of the trip -　a touch of `old Japan` so elusive in the cities. Found another old ryokan where no one spoke English, but managed to get a room, and head straight to the onsen.

Decided to spend a second night -- in part to rest from ...

Kizantei Hotel is located just about a 15 minute walk from Hita Station. Accessible by JR train from Fukuoka or Oita. From Hita Station to the hotel you will walk through Kuma Town, which is a charming area that takes you back in time with the old shops and tile rooftops. The opposite side of the station also leads you to Mameda Town which is also a back-in-time town with other tourist attractions such as the Gion Matsuri Museum where you can see ...

... y gente!! El calor en Nagasaki era insoportable, muy pegajoso, asi que lo primero que hicimos fue pegarnos una ducha.
Cuando termine, yo me baje al comedor y me puse a hablar con un chico americano de Texas. Su acento no se parecia nada al de Brett, pero pronto le cogi el tranquillo. Habia estado viajando por Tailandia y China. Por lo visto China le habia gustado mas que Japon: no hay tantas normas, todo es mas relajado, y la gente es muy amigable. Cuando ...

... Eso si, teniamos el hostal para nosotras solas, siendo las unicas huespedes.
Nos sentamos un ratillo en la terracita a disfrutar de la brisa -necesario despues de haber estado cargando con las peazo mochilas. Las tiendas cerraban pronto, asi que nos dirigimos a Lawson a comprar la cena. Por el camino nos fijamos mejor en el paisaje. Uno de los volcanes estaba humeando y las montanas, que ahora se veian claramente con el sol del atardecer, tenian un ...

Vanmorgen hebben we een cadeautje gekregen toen we de Ryokan verlieten. (hadden wij ook iets mee moeten brengen als bedankje voor het logeren????) Rond de middag zijn we aangekomen in Kumamoto (de klemtoon bij Japanse steden licht op de twee-na-laatste lettergreep KuMAmoto dus, zo hebben wij zelf bedacht). Het is hier zeker 30 graden, wat onze reisproductiviteit niet ten goede komt. Toch zijn er een ...

... one active volcano in the area - with the idea that we'll walk around its crater before heading back down. Unfortunately - due to volcanic activity - the crater is not the safest place to be that day so we just decide to walk down from the top - about a 3 hour jaunt. Again the views are great and despite the snow storm the previous night, the day is warm and clear. We decided to try and take a short cut through the woods, lost our bearings ...

... the pictures of dressed up chimps and dancing bears, I thought better of it. Yesterday I arrived early, before 11am, to make the most of my one day in Aso. Aso is a town at the bottom of The Five Mountains, one of which is Nake-dake, an active volcano. It has been very active in the last few years. The cable car to the summit was closed in 1989/90 due to eruptions spewing dust and ash northwards. In 1979 an eruption ...

... marker on the guest houses' business card seemed a few roads up. A cut-through to the green neon hotel and I was back on track. It was dark though, for a brief moment I was a little worried I wouldn't make it back! But as they say, do something each day that scares you - that box was ticked. Back at the ranch I drank green tea with the master and watched more bizarre Saturday night TV. Even he couldn't explain what was going on. Maybe he doesn't watch much telly...

... soon we were on the train to Beppu.


Before going I must mention the delightful ryokan, Japanese inn, we stayed in. It had great traditional Japanese décor: tatami mats on the floor, beige shoya sliding panels for doors and walls, futons for sleeping and traditional style baths (onsens). Hard to describe why it was so great but if you saw it you'd know. Perhaps the photos will capture some of the essence of the place.

... stored my main backpack in a locker and boarded the 9am bus upto the crater area, along with a number of locals who seemed equally as excited by this unexpected treat. I was impressed that the roads had been cleared so quickly, allowing the bus to slowly weave its way to the top without any problem at all - back home, it`s a national state of emergency when a couple of inches fall, but here it was business as usual after about 9 inches overnight! Climbing the peaks ...