Day 6

We got up around 9 as planned and headed quickly over to the JR office to reserve our seats for the trip to Nagasaki tomorrow. We thought it might be kind of tricky (considering that even in Tokyo the JR staff had a limited command of the English language), but were pleasantly suprised when the clerk seemed to have little difficulty understanding us, though she had more difficulty responding.

With that sorted I got a rice ball for breakfast from the local 'family mart' (basically a 7/11) which had some kind of tuna and mayonnaise in the middle I think. I also had a starbucks frappucino 'white chocolate pudding', and was suprised to find myself sucking large gelatinous blobs up a straw (presumably soya curd of some kind). Not bad though.

Next step, grab the tram to the ferry port. It was a sweltering day, but the sea breeze was enough to keep it pleasant. Arriving at the ferry port we were surprised to find no fee to board (aha! you pay when you get off). So we walked on to the top deck of the docked ferry. The view of Sakurajima was already magnificent.

Sakurajima from the ferry port

The ferrys were flying the fish flags. I had just assumed it was a Kagoshima thing, but apparently the flags represent yesterday's kodomo no hi and have not yet been withdrawn.

Fish - children. Aaaah, I see the connection now!

We arrived at Sakurajima island and not wanting to get the sightseeing bus, but without any kind of solid plan either, we walked south. We walked past a resort and onsen, as well as various houses and a few small shops. Luckily we came across a visitor centre and headed inside hoping to find something written in English. Nosing around we found a small movie theatre on the left. Inside was the main screen, around thirty seats, and a relatively large amount of Bose audio equipment. The screen displayed a static menu for a film about Sakurajima and four language options. A member of staff approached us and asked if we wanted to watch a short movie about Sakurajima "only eleven minutes". We answered with our usual response in such circumstances (a shrug and a "sure, i guess"). So we sat down to watch the short movie. The attendant left closing the doors behind her and shouting out (presumably to someone behind the projector) "aego" (Enligsh) followed by some other non-discernable Japanese. The film showed a nice montage of Sakurajima island and some basic CGI explaining that Sakurajima's first eruption was over 20,000 years ago, and that the second peak, which erupted much more recently, is still active. Another, slightly surprising, danger of the volcano is the threat of landslides. They travel about the speed of a car and can cause enormous devastation. To deal with this, the islanders have taken various precautionary measures. For example there are a number of concrete half cylinders around the island, which act as shelters, Additionally school children are supposedly obliged to wear helmets (although how this could in any way help seems beyond all reason).

The movie wrapped up and we grabbed an information leafleat. Spotting no obvious hiking routes (that weren't along a roadside) we decided we should hire bikes. We asked the nearest staff member and she told us the bike hire shop was back at the ferry port. Great. Okay then, new plan. We'd grab the sightseeing bus (called 'island view') up to the highest observatory (Yunohira), and then when we get back we'd hire some bikes and circle the island.

We headed back to the ferry port (and bus stop) and searched for times/prices etc. When we had got our bearings I asked the lady at the ticket booth, in my best grammar-less Japanese, "Island view Kipu futatsu kaimasuka?". It seemed to work and In exchange for 1000Y she provided me with two tickets for the bus. An extremely helpful bus attendent showed us where to wait for the bus to arrive and highlighted the discounts for the ferry and nearby onsen that came with the ticket.

We boarded the bus when it arrived and began the sightseeing tour. We passed a cemetary with beautiful, but not extravagant, tombstones protected from the rain by small individual roofs shaped like those of the buddhist temples we've visited. Most sights weren't much to speak of, however. For example there was this thing, whatever the hell it is:

Seems to be a statue of a rockstars head. Obviously.

No. We simply wanted to get to the Yunohira observatory. We got there and took some nice photos. It's about 380m above sea level, and it's as close as you're allowed to go to the (still active) volcano. We didn't stay for that long though, and soon boarded the bus again. Passing by some groves of satsumas, it wasn't long before we found ourselves back at the port.

I immediately found a further opportunity to practice my japanese. Adressing the lady at the car & bicycle hire shop I said "Jitensha o karitai wa ikura desu ka?" (how much to hire a bike?). At first I thought I did well because she answered me in Japanese, but soon I realised that she spoke limited English. Nonetheless we were able to communicate using our limited understanding of each others respective languages. She was quite chatty though and I admit there were some long sentences from which I drew almost no information. The braod strokes, however, and the important details (like difficult sections of the ride, prices, and the lack of insurance) were all sufficiently clear. We hired the bikes for only two hours (though the route supposedly takes four) knowing that we could out-cycle the specified deadline, but also that it was getting a bit late and we might not make it around the island before the cycle hire shop closed anyway.

So we set off on our awkward but rather comfortable and nimble road bikes to explore the south coast of Sakurajima island. We found a landslide prevention measure in the form of giant canals, which i guess is an interesting feature for about 2 seconds without any further context. So instead you can have a picture of us and our bikes:

Don't say I never give you anything

We also found this treasure of a spot where the sea (to the south) and Sakurajima (to the north) oppose each other either side of the seats and table.

Incredible resting spot. Would be a great place for tea. (Ed looking unreasonably jovial).

From the other side with Sakurajima in the background. (me looking unreasonably serious).

After a bit more cycling we headed back. On the return journey Ed was starting to get frustrated with the limitations of the hire bike.

cheer up buddy, just another 9k to go!

Upon returning the bikes the lady offered us a fruit she called 'Biwa', which I have since learned is sometimes known as loquat or 'japanese plum'. This gorgeous fruit is a bit like a mix between a pear and a mango. The skin is thin and can be eaten, though it's better to peel it away (which is easy). The inside is soft but not mushy, and sweet with a slight fragrance. This may be my new favourite fruit, so I cannot help but describe it in detail!

YUM!

After getting all hot and sweaty from the bike ride I really wanted to try out the nearby onsen (public hot bath), which is known as 'magma onsen'. Ed was, understandably, a little bit anxious about going. I was not, since the whole experience is really not so dissimilar to using a sauna or such-like. Buying tickets for the onsen from yet another vending machine and handing them to the receptionist, we were directed towards the mens changing rooms. After stripping naked and putting all possessions in a basket (how very trusting) I walked into the main bath area. The proper etiquette is to take a shower while sitting on a stool before entering the bath itself (to keep it clean). The bath was the perfect temperature, hot but not too hot, and the view of kagoshima would have been stunning, were it not for the unclean windows (such a waste!). In the room was also a jacuzzi, cold bath, and sauna.

The onsen experience was very calming (although a little noisy because of the adjacent showers), and an excellent way to relax tired feet. As an added bonus, simply sitting by an open window afterwards and feeling the sea breeze was amazing.

I spotted some more Biwa for sale and had to have them!

8 times YUM!

We headed outside and while Ed worked at getting some shots of Kagoshima from across the sea I sat on the pier and enjoyed the sound of the waves and the sight of the sun descending into Kyushu.

The tranquility of this place gave such a sense of contentment that I could have spend the day just sitting there.

We were about to get up and leave when something interesting happened. A volcanic eruption.

BOOOOM! (not really, it was completely silent)

While it felt like something special and interesting, this should not be surprising news. The visitor centre pointed out that there have been over 560 eruptions this year. It would have been almost bizarre had we not seen one. Still, it was curious to see such an event in person rather than on a tv.

We eventually meandered back to the ferry and headed for Kagoshima, and food! Wanting to try out the local specialties we searched in Tenmonkan (a shopping district) for a recommended restaurant called 'Karen'. While searching for it we came across this respectable looking establishment:

subtelty was not the first priority for the owners of this 'rabu hoteru' (love hotel)

Anyway we were getting hungry and there were plenty of other restaurants nearby. Spotting one that looked like it served what we had in mind, we entered and were directed to the bar. "Imo Jouchu futatsu" (two 'Imo Jouchu') was the first phrase to try. This local speciality is kind of like a sake made from sweet-potatoes, I understand. It is served chilled and mixed with water. I thought it tasted incredibly clean and slightly sweet, but it was extremely smooth and had no nasty after-kick. I guess you could compare it to Jameson's, although I'm sure such a statement would have shochu connoisseurs up in arms.

For dinner I ordered the 'Kurobuta syabusyabu'. Kurobuta is (black pig) and I have no idea what syabusyabu means, but it was recommended so I ordered it! What arrived was thin raw slices of pork with garnish, and a simple vegetable stew suspended above a candle with a side of soy sauce. At first this seemed strange but then it made sense. You dip the slices of pork into the stew, boiling the pork and flavouring the stew at the same time. When a slice is cooked to your liking, you dip it in the soya sauce and add garnish. Beautiful, simple, delicious food.

no it does NOT look too good to eat!!!!!

Afterwards we grabbed desert from 'mister donut', and I also got hold of a karukan (a yam, rice flour, and sugar cake) which was pleasant but not astounding, and headed towards iwo beach to the spot we were at last night to retrieve, for you, the promised photo.

I'm far too kind :)

That's all for today folks. Tomorrow we're off to Nagasaki! Arigatou gozaimashita!!!!

Bonusu Shashin!

This ferry service is brought to you by the raddish princess

There used to be a 'NOLAND' next door but it got shut down for being too negative

Day 5

After 4 hours of sleep we got up at the crack of dawn and packed for a day of travelling to Kagoshima (one of the southern most cities in Kyushu), approximately an eight hour trip by train. We made our way to Tokyo central and caught the Hikari 503 Shinkansen (bullet train) to shin-osaka. My first bullet train! It was pretty sweet. The Hikari was 16 carriages long, with each carriage having a length of about 20 long strides. All the connecting carriages have motion-sensing automatic doors and a step under the seats allows for a full 180 degree rotation (so that four seats can face together). While not luxurious, the whole set up feels like a solid, clean, and well thought out operation.

On the train a relentlessly cheery lady parades the carriages selling drinks and handing out booklets. The staff of the Japanese railway service must take pride in their work to perform it so well, and are in many ways more akin to aircraft cabin crew than English railway staff. Station masters have immaculate formal attire, complete with flat topped caps and white gloves. The female staff on board wear waistcoats and neckerchiefs or cravates, and bow towards the customers when leaving a carriage. The train even plays a lullaby before announcing the station name as the train draws close to a platform, somewhat more melodic than the two tone announcements at heathrow.

There does seem to be a strong sexual typecasting for occupational roles, however. I have yet to see a single man serving drinks on a train, and of the dozens of station masters i have encountered there has been but a single woman. I shall keep an eye out to see if this trend continues.

After a couple of stations a pair of Geishas (or Geikos, I'm not sure) boarded and dragged their luggage along the carriage. While such sights are interesting, I have a limited capacity for surprise and I am finding myself incrementally less shocked, though not dismissive, of such strangeness. "Yesterday we saw a Sumo wrestler on the metro, so, yeah, whatever" (we really did!).

Anyway I mostly tried to sleep through the journey, but we saw Fujiyama (Mt. Fuji) on the way and Ed got some good photos.

A shot of Fujiyama from the Hikari shinkansen

 We disembarked at shin-Osaka (from the station it looked kind of industrialised) and boarded the sakura 553 for the remainder of our journey. By 3pm we arrived at Kagoshima. We finally got some glorious sunshine and the cool sea breeze in this city is very satisfying.

Kagoshima is a slightly strange city. Extremely trendy in some quarters and industrial in others, while at the same time almost pretending to be a tourist location. The latter, however, it is clearly not. After checking in at our hotel, the 'Tokyu Inn' (wherein no staff speak more than a few words of english) and dropping our bags off in our smokey room, we set off to explore the city. After visiting some minor relics relating to the samurai Saigo Takamori we stopped to watch a teenager and an elderly gentleman practicing martial arts in the park (I did not recognise the style, but it was not dissimilar to wing chun). While watching, we were ambushed by an old gentleman who ran over to us and began talking English with us (I sometimes get the impression that it's a bit of a novelty). The gentleman had excellent command of English and used idioms such as "a stone's throw away". He talked to us about local history, Australian and American accents, American movies (the flatterer said I look like a 'gangster', and that Ed looks like he's from a romance), and anything else that struck his fancy. He was an incredibly animated individual that gestured, pulled faces, and nearly danced his sentences out. Then out of nowhere he suddenly stood bolt upright with his arms by his sides, as if saluting, and said "Thank you very much for speaking with me in English, I apologise for wasting your time.". He then shook our hands and ran away. What an eccentric and delightful gentleman.

We spent the rest of the day getting to grips with the city of Kagoshima. We took the 'street car' (a tram) to the sea front first and caught an eyeful of the great Sakurajima. The volcano looks exactly how you'd expect a volcano to look (minus the lava), but there is an incredibly strange sensation watching it. It fills the width of your vision from kilometers away and is enormous by any standards, but somehow my brain cannot comprehend how truly huge it is. Something in the back of my brain is convinced that it's really just a little bit bigger than the apartment block in front of me, even though I know that to be a patent lie!

Looking around for dinner we began to notice that most places were closed (maybe because it's "Kodomo no Hi" 'children's day'). Anyway I did manage to find an awesome takoyaki joint and had the best prawn and octopus takoyaki ever! it tasted so much less artificial than the ones I had in Tokyo. The batter was perfect, and the bonito flakes were nice and tangy!

Takoyaki. Okay, I guess this photo doesn't look that appetising, but I promise they're great!

Ed has decided that he doesn't like takoyaki (baka!) and found a 'lotteria', which is basically a wimpy, and got a chicken & egg burger.

Afterwards we went on a bit of a mission toward Ito beach. We got most of the way there but were distracted by a stunning night time view of Sakurajima with moon overhead and the ferries to-ing and fro-ing. Unfortunately the cameras were still on charge, so hopefully there'll be a beautiful shot of this image in tomorrow's blog if we can get it!

Sorry for the boring update what with all the travelling, but tomorrow promises much with the plan to do some hiking on Sakurajima! By way of apology, please enjoy these BONUS SHASHIN! Arigato gozaimashita!

mmm.... Green tea flavoured wotsits (pofak to you persians out there (you know who you are!))

Don't hang your clothes up here. We have trained a pigeon to crap on them.

For they are weak and you are mighty!