Last week Mick arrived after 6 months of us being apart. Needless to say we were happy to see each other! I couldn't stop laughing at his big beard but I think I'm now used to it!
We spent our first day together chilling in Kyoto (and visited my favourite sushi train - Kappa Zushi). After packing our bags we made our way to Osaka where we caught an overnight ferry to Kyushu. It was cheap but very basic, we were in a shared room and were given a thin hard futon with pillow (but the pillow looked like something a Geisha would sleep on to keep her hair in place haha). Our plan of attach was to drink some beer, have some food and get sleepy in enable us to fall asleep amongst the other travellers! Mission somewhat successful but let's just say it was not the best sleep haha! At least there was a Sento (bathhouse) on the ferry which I took full advantage of!
We arrived on Kyushu Island around 8:30 in the morning and headed to Fukuoka to wander around. After dropping our bags at the accommodation (a cute place "Guesthouse Kaine" which has a noodle shop/bar at the entrance) we sought out Ippudo Ramen, a famous shop where we could sample Hakata Ramen. It was super delish and so was the bite size Gyoza ( the best we have ever eaten!) Mick got a REALLY spicy ramen and it almost beat him! But he conquered! To walk off the ramen we decided to head to the Fukuoka Castle ruins which had some lovely plum blossoms.
That night we headed to the Yatai Food stalls which are set up beside a road and are very famous. We had some yummy seafood and yakitori, paired with beer! We then decided to call it a night so we could plan our next day of travel. After a bit of web surfing we decided to head to Kumamoto to check out the famous castle then spend the night in Aso.
The castle in Kumamoto was beautiful, really spectacular! The reconstruction of Honmaru Goten Palace nearby was particularly stunning. We also visited a Samurai villa, a really interesting old building with a tea house attached. We then headed to the town of Aso, to get ready to see Mt Aso volcano the following day. The backpackers we stayed at "Aso Base Backpackers" was fantastic, really new and cosy.
The next morning (before we went up to the Mt Aso volcano crater) we planned our next movements. We came to the general consensus that the ferry was a little tiring and a better return method of transport could surely be found. So we decided to book flights out of Kumamoto that evening. Anyway back to the volcano. On our way up on the bus we witnessed some wonderful scenery - the landscape was so barren yet beautiful. At the top we travelled on a short ropeway (cable car) and saw smoke coming out of the crater and smelt the sulphurous gases! We tried some black sesame ice cream which was amazing! I love the stuff!
Back in the town of Aso we chilled out for a bit, eating some snacks and waiting for our bus to Kumamoto. Little did we know that a major devastating earthquake had just hit Northern Japan as we didn't feel a thing. What alerted us to the fact was an email from Mick's mother wondering if we were ok. We emailed our parents to reassure them we were ok. When we arrived at the airport all flights except ours (to Kobe) and to Osaka were cancelled. A big screen TV was televising the earthquake aftermath and I think it was only then we realised the severity of it all. And were thankful we chose to fly back to Honshu rather than cross the seas (after the Tsunami warnings).
It's just been absolutely horrific for the people of Japan, my heart goes out to everyone affected. Japan has been my home for the last 7 months and has made such a huge impact on me. Recently I feel pangs of guilt when I am out enjoying myself. But I guess what you can take from something like this is that life is precious and you need to make it count. I pray for all those who are having a rough time of it and hope they can pull through with the support of people all around the world
We spent our first day together chilling in Kyoto (and visited my favourite sushi train - Kappa Zushi). After packing our bags we made our way to Osaka where we caught an overnight ferry to Kyushu. It was cheap but very basic, we were in a shared room and were given a thin hard futon with pillow (but the pillow looked like something a Geisha would sleep on to keep her hair in place haha). Our plan of attach was to drink some beer, have some food and get sleepy in enable us to fall asleep amongst the other travellers! Mission somewhat successful but let's just say it was not the best sleep haha! At least there was a Sento (bathhouse) on the ferry which I took full advantage of!
We arrived on Kyushu Island around 8:30 in the morning and headed to Fukuoka to wander around. After dropping our bags at the accommodation (a cute place "Guesthouse Kaine" which has a noodle shop/bar at the entrance) we sought out Ippudo Ramen, a famous shop where we could sample Hakata Ramen. It was super delish and so was the bite size Gyoza ( the best we have ever eaten!) Mick got a REALLY spicy ramen and it almost beat him! But he conquered! To walk off the ramen we decided to head to the Fukuoka Castle ruins which had some lovely plum blossoms.
That night we headed to the Yatai Food stalls which are set up beside a road and are very famous. We had some yummy seafood and yakitori, paired with beer! We then decided to call it a night so we could plan our next day of travel. After a bit of web surfing we decided to head to Kumamoto to check out the famous castle then spend the night in Aso.
The castle in Kumamoto was beautiful, really spectacular! The reconstruction of Honmaru Goten Palace nearby was particularly stunning. We also visited a Samurai villa, a really interesting old building with a tea house attached. We then headed to the town of Aso, to get ready to see Mt Aso volcano the following day. The backpackers we stayed at "Aso Base Backpackers" was fantastic, really new and cosy.
The next morning (before we went up to the Mt Aso volcano crater) we planned our next movements. We came to the general consensus that the ferry was a little tiring and a better return method of transport could surely be found. So we decided to book flights out of Kumamoto that evening. Anyway back to the volcano. On our way up on the bus we witnessed some wonderful scenery - the landscape was so barren yet beautiful. At the top we travelled on a short ropeway (cable car) and saw smoke coming out of the crater and smelt the sulphurous gases! We tried some black sesame ice cream which was amazing! I love the stuff!
Back in the town of Aso we chilled out for a bit, eating some snacks and waiting for our bus to Kumamoto. Little did we know that a major devastating earthquake had just hit Northern Japan as we didn't feel a thing. What alerted us to the fact was an email from Mick's mother wondering if we were ok. We emailed our parents to reassure them we were ok. When we arrived at the airport all flights except ours (to Kobe) and to Osaka were cancelled. A big screen TV was televising the earthquake aftermath and I think it was only then we realised the severity of it all. And were thankful we chose to fly back to Honshu rather than cross the seas (after the Tsunami warnings).
It's just been absolutely horrific for the people of Japan, my heart goes out to everyone affected. Japan has been my home for the last 7 months and has made such a huge impact on me. Recently I feel pangs of guilt when I am out enjoying myself. But I guess what you can take from something like this is that life is precious and you need to make it count. I pray for all those who are having a rough time of it and hope they can pull through with the support of people all around the world
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