Our last adventure

We thought, will we go out with a bang or a whimper? And decided on the latter because … well why not pack as much in as you possibly can … right? That decision did of course come with a healthy dose of pre-dawn awakeness to which I say urghhhh but it was worth the 7am on the road/3 hour drive with our day guide, Keita (just call me K) 

to the southern part of Kyushu, to see the Takachiho Gorge. And some of the most spectacular scenery yet. 

We thought we were going on a boat cruise through the gorge. Turns out that was sort of true. See those little boats down there? They are the self-propelled kind. That’s going to be us when we walk down there. 

It was a wonderful way to see the gorge. Well wonderful for Sandy & me who were just navigating so the boys didn’t bump into anything (Allan travel rule #2). Possibly a bit less fun for Mike & Geoff doing the actual work of rowing, which they managed with great aplomb. And not one of us went into the drink for which we were all grateful (& a little surprised given how clumsy I am).

Then, after the climb back up that adjectival hill 

everyone else virtually runs up these inclines like mountain goats while I am more akin to the lumbering hippo - fortunately they are very kind and patient friends. Anyway as I was saying after the climb back up the hill, our next mode of transport was a scenic train. NOT what we were expecting either. No way would this pass any safety code in Australia. 

As is the way with the enterprising Japanese there were lightshows for the tunnels which were kind of cool.

The driver parked us on a bridge & we all stood up to take photos while she blew bubbles at us with a bubble machine …  odd and surprisingly entertaining.

We went to visit the local goddess’s shrine. The Water Goddess is responsible for all the pure fresh water/springs in this area, taking pity on the local people and calling forth water from the earth to perpetually nourish them (very abridged version of local legend). The shrine is in a cave after a very pretty walk down into another gorge.

The faithful build cairns and leave coins, so that the Godess will be grateful for their gift & grant them their wish. The 50y coins are considered the best gift because they are (a) gold (b) circles (c) have holes in the middle (so two circles) which all adds up to very good juju. 

This is the new shrine. 

My guess is only those who have a knowledgeable guide with along them, will actually see the tiny original shrine hidden unceremoniously in the dark behind it. 

We went to see some natural springs where the water is so fresh & clear that the locals bottle it for their drinking water. That’s what this lady is doing here.

We could see the spring bubbling up in the centre of this pond. It produces 60 tonnes of water a day! That godess certainly knew her stuff!

 

This was a wonderful way to say goodbye to our Japan travels. I know people will ask what was your favourite thing about this trip. And I could say the go-carts or the Onsen or the Atomic bomb museums or the autumn leaves … highlights all however without getting too sappy I must say the best thing was spending 18 days and evenings with our best friends. We cherish them & know we are very lucky.

Pretty Fukuoka

The last day with the famous Kenji today. He was a funny old fellow and the least guide-like person I have ever come across. We’d go past these amazing sights and nothin’ but for hours at other times we’d hear in great detail about his karate exploits or his time on the military. Today at lunch time he had no clue where the restaurant was, one of the tour group google mapped it and guided us there for our final send off meal, & maaaan it was good! 

He did get us here this morning to this temple which was of course up a bazillionty stairs.

The gardens were pretty 

We also went to a porcelain factory which was interesting but the funnest bit was the side hustle they have going there, one of the people there makes bows & offers an archery experience - so fun

The day really picked up though when we got to Fukuoka. Look at this for an entry to the hotel! 

SO pretty. AND even more exciting we found a Pandora thanks to some fancy googling on Sandy’s behalf, which was totally for my benefit. I may not be getting ruby on this tour but I certainly got spoilt with a gorgeous addition to my bracelet 💕

If that wasn’t excellent enough we found Christmas markets! I just love the Northern hemisphere in December, gluhwein is just the best isn’t it.

And the lights, all the cities go above and beyond making everything so pretty, it’s like a wonderland up here. Good old Aus can learn some lessons I reckon.

Nagasaki day 2 with some tears

 What a view from the window this morning!

From the Nagasaki Rope way up to the top of Mount Inasa for some spectacular views. 

While we were up there we found what we thought looked like a roller coaster.

It’s actually called a Slope Car and a snail goes faster lol. 

From there we made our way to meet our guide for the day at Nagasaki train station, hailing a cab with ease and finding the meeting place, no problem because we are geniuses … just sayin’

Very quickly we were off to the bane of my Japanese holiday … up

Oh my goodness, we definitely do not need a stairmaster here. In the Nagasaki Atomic bomb museum we took unique and emotive walk down the spiral entry symbolising the journey from present to past.

Down the spiral to the minute the bomb exploded, captured in this clock at the entrance.

Like the Hiroshima museum, this museum was very moving, and our guide made the experience so much more … enjoyable is not the right word … rewarding. 

We walked past the hypocentre, the bomb exploded 500 metres above this exact spot. 

In Peace Park this fountain we see again in its dedication the drive of survivors to give some relief the poor souls who died crying desperately for a drink of water and the extreme desire for peace.

There are statues from every country expressing the shared desire for peace. This is the one from Australia.

And this one was erected in 1955 on the 10th anniversary.

The children were from schools. They make paper cranes for peace. They stand in front of this statue and they sing their songs for peace in three part harmony.  They are crying out for peace. And this is when I started to cry. Because we, as their adults are letting them down, and they are doing all they can and I just wanted to hug them all and say the world will know peace in their lifetime.

Fortunately, we did not end our day on this sad note. We went to Glover garden. A complex of buildings and gardens built for Thomas Glover, a Scottish merchant who the Japanese attribute the modernisation of Japan through shipbuilding and coal mining.