A Belated Conclusion

I’m feeling bad that I never finished journaling my last visit to Japan. The last few days of the trip were too busy to write and when I got home, I just forgot to pick it up, I guess. There’s not much left to tell, but I feel incomplete without this blog’s conclusion. And conclusion, I’m afraid it is. As two out of my last six months have been spent exploring the hidden corners of Miyakonojo and the great wonders of Southern Japan, I feel that it’s time to pursue travel elsewhere. (I must admit, I say this only half-heartedly, as in searching for a ticket to Bangkok earlier today, I researched a stopover in Miyazaki to see Luke before we head to the beaches of Thailand.)

Conclusion of my visits to Nippon or not, I will at least reveal the details of the end of this most recent trip . . .

Following the somewhat ill-fated kyudo lesson (ill-fated in that I remain an undiscovered talent), Luke and I made plans to hike the local volcano, Kirishima. Hiking great peaks always spikes some anxiety in me, thanks to all the perils that accompany mountaineering in Colorado. But, in this area of Japan, this time of year, there are no weather concerns, and as it’s a popular hike, there’s no route finding, scrambling or technical sections, so I was free to enjoy the wander. Except for one tiny thing – the smoking crater and certainly impending eruption.

It turns out it’s not so scary after all. A little crowded, yes (it looked like a line of ants moving up the trail ahead), but not scary. In fact, it was quite pleasant. We made our way out of the parking lot, which actually reminded me of the visitor center on Trail Ridge Road, thanks to the gift shops and tourists with no intention of hiking beyond the Torii gate, and up the trail bordered on each side by lush greenery. Not too far up, the trees and foliage disappear. I’m not sure why – I think it has something to do with the volcanic activity, because common sense would dictate that the latitude and elevation wouldn’t prevent growth. But anyway, from here on out, it’s just scree fields of lava rock. So cool! It’s actually kind of slippery, especially on the way down, but we made excellent time, reaching the summit in just over an hour, I think.

There’s an elaborate shrine at the top, not to mention amazing 360-degree views. And, I totally forgot to share the geological marvels that can be seen on the way to the top. Really, words don’t do this molten mountain justice. For a more vivid description of the layers of brilliantly colored exposed bedrock and bubbling cauldron of a crater, click on the link at the top right to see photos.

We concluded our hike with a visit to Yupopo Onsen, a fabulous, geothermically-powered bath, where I, once again, had to bare all in the presence of curious Japanese women. This time, however, I was much better equipped to handle the stares of those shocked to see a foreigner, much less a tattooed and pierced foreigner, marching into their hot springs, and the ogling of children who had maybe seen just a handful of only clothed Americans ever!


With just a few days remaining before I returned home, Luke and I decided a trip to the beach was in order. When I was in Miyakonojo during the summer, we spent many days on the beach, but because the weather was cooler this time, we weren’t as quick to make it to the sand and waves. Though, it’s no less beautiful in the fall.

We took the long way to the coast, winding through rice paddies and forests still not tinged by autumn’s chill. On the way, we stopped near Obijo castle to buy some beautifully hand-forged knives. It was a bit chilly and windy on the beach, but I still managed to dip my toes in the water and collect a few shells.

The way home lead us through a festival and parade in Nichinan. Looking back on my photos, I realize that the last picture I took was of a parade group gathering in front of the Lawson convenience store. This is probably appropriate and reflective of the time I spent there, as festivals were always my favorite for their food and revelry, and the Lawson, well, I could go on for pages. I admit, sadly, that it’s the equivalent of 7-11, but I just love it so much – they have delicious seaweed-wrapped rice, ice cream and Hello Kitty fans. I couldn’t be more delighted by any other small pleasures.

Coastal Tour

Luke’s international driving permit is about to expire, and because he’s staying in Japan for another year, he has to get an actual Japanese driver’s license. Basically, he has to make like he’s 16 again and take driving lessons and a test. It’s a long, drawn out, inconvenient and expensive process for a foreigner to get licensed to drive in this country, requiring several trips to Miyazaki city and lots of yen. It sucks for Luke, but for me it means extra trips to the beach and the crazy Japanese shopping mall.

One such visit to Miyazaki city for this whole licensing debacle led to a trip to Mos Burger, “Fine Japanese Burger and Coffee.” (This so-called fast food actually involved a 20-minute wait at the window for our teriyaki burgers, fries and shakes, and yes they do screw up orders just as badly here as they do in the States.) After which we began a long drive down the Southern Coast of Kyushu. Luke’s Coastal Tour remains one of the best parts of my trip so far. We stopped at a secret swimming hole where we jumped off rocks into the ocean, and wandered around looking at tide pools. Then we found a shrine hidden deep in a valley next to a beautiful waterfall. And finally we visited Cape Toi, the home of a herd of wild horses. All along the way we saw monkeys hanging by the roadside and more hawks than I could count gliding just above.

I still can’t believe how tropical and exotic this part of Japan is. It’s such a contrast to the concrete Jungle that is Tokyo.
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On my next visit to Miyazaki city, Luke dropped me at the Starbucks while he attended a driving lesson. Yes, that’s right, Starbucks. Globalization finally reared its ugly head (first time this trip!), and I found myself drinking iced coffee under the all too familiar green sign. In my defense, I will say that I had a lot of work to do and not knowing the area, I decided this would be the most reliable option. In this part of Japan, there’s not exactly a thriving freelance culture, and therefore not many coffee shops catering to the needs of struggling writers and trust funders.

Anyhow, after I compromised my morals at Starbucks, we made a trip to the mall for ice cream and to shop for souvenirs and Engrish. No such luck, although it was kind of fun to see Japanese shopping mall culture. It’s basically the same as at home – families and teenagers killing time on a weekend afternoon.

This weekend I am going to the mall in Kagoshima to kick it with my new Japanese girlfriends. Luke, much to his chagrin, has to go along as my translator. I am really looking forward to it – should be interesting to experience an outing with the girls, Japanese style.

Matsuri or Octopus on a Stick

The Japanese festival experience is actually quite similar to a fair or summer celebration in the States. There’s dancing, performances, food, games, etc. Pretty typical festival stuff, with just a few minor differences: you’ve probably had a corn dog, right? Or some other meat on a stick? Well, they’ve got the same kind of thing here, but instead of an overly processed pork product, it’s octopus. That’s right, folks. Octopus on a stick. And people just go around eating this stuff like we would eat a hot dog.

I, after careful consideration, opted for the tamer, deep fried octopus ball. This festival fare is bite-size chunks of octopus dropped into a deep fryer and covered in a sauce and some cabbage-like garnish. Delish!

Our foray into matsuri culture did not stop at the food. We enjoyed a traditional fan dance, taiko drumming and the ritual shrine procession. Definitely check out the pictures to see the huge taiko drum that almost ran over me as I was trying to get a photo.

My favorite part of the matsuri? I could actually see everything that was happening! At 5’8”, I was on the taller side of festival-goers and very few people blocked my view. Pretty cool coming from America where there’s always some tall guy standing in front of you.

Kirishima Shrine

Kirishima Shrine sits at the base of a volcano by the same name. It is located in Kagoshima, the prefecture next to Miyazaki. Rainy and overcast, it was the perfect weather for experiencing a place such as this. The entire thing was shrouded in mist, making it very mysterious and kind of mystical.

There were very few people at the shrine, and certainly no other foreigners. We walked up a huge set of steps and passed through a couple of big gates to view the shrine. When we arrived, we participated in ritual hand washing, which is meant to cleanse you before you visit the shrine.

In front of the shrine itself, we made an offering of a few yen and said a prayer. There’s a very specific way to do all of these things – clapping and bowing and such, so it was good that I had Luke to show me what to do.

There wasn’t much else to do at the shrine, as it was so overcast that we couldn’t really take advantage of the ocean views or anything like that. So we drove back to Miyakonojo and my jet lag really set in – sooooo tired and out of it!

After a quick nap, I attempted to rally for a night out with some of Luke’s friends.