Sooooo, way back in September (yes, we are that fashionably late to our own blog), we decided to explore yet another part of Japan: the island of Kyushu. We heard from our friends about some crazy hot spring towns and incredible landscapes there, and of course, we were already craving Japanese food. Add to that gimmicky tourist destinations affectionately called "hells" and the rumor of a cat-filled trip and we were sold! We had a four-day weekend for Chuseok (kind of like Korean Thanksgiving), so we booked our tickets and away we went.
Since we were short on time, we flew in and arrived about noon, then took a train straight from downtown Fukuoka to Beppu. This was entirely doable and pretty easy to manage with a bit of planning. Why Beppu, you might ask? Our friends described it to us as a run-down hot spring town plagued with tourists and iffy-looking spa establishments, but how could we resist once we heard about the Seven Hells of Beppu? (Dante wishes this was his hometown.)
We booked an onsen in Beppu, kaiseki meals included and all (full Japanese dinner and breakfast served to you there in the hotel, with lots of different side dishes). This was a bit of a splurge, but definitely recommended for the experience of having a hot spring bath right in our beautiful room complete with tatami mats, tea table, and all. They were even able to accommodate Hannah's being a vegetarian, which was awesome since that's a bit of a rare find. Once checked into our Beppu abode, we immediately tried to figure out how to go to hell...s.
(So that you can fully appreciate the snarky comments following, Ben's are in regular type, while Hannah's are in italics.)
Beautiful sewer caps. Yep, that's what I decided to start this post on.
That thing called class. We got it.
Welcome to Beppu! Immediately in front of the train station, we could see what we were in for:
...a strange yet family-friendly caper in which elf-sized children cling to the cape of a middle-aged gentleman, according to this statue?
Beppu was a weird mix of run-down city and beautiful mountains billowing steam
from the thousands of hot springs. So yes, all those clouds you see rising from the ground are pure Beppu steam from hot springs. (This explanation is for all the New Yorkers, who are only familiar with this phenomenon with sewer steam.)
from the thousands of hot springs. So yes, all those clouds you see rising from the ground are pure Beppu steam from hot springs. (This explanation is for all the New Yorkers, who are only familiar with this phenomenon with sewer steam.)
This is only what I can call one of the coolest public works projects I've seen.
These are man-made waterways to help with flooding from the mountains during rainy seasons.
Usually, they are just a cement channel, but here they made a mile-long water park. It's fantastic and genuinely cooler down near the water than it was up on the street.
A few more shots to follow. ^__^
Don't do it, Ben! The camera has so much to function for!
People had planted these cool flowers along the shore.
This mountain was just grass on that one face. We have a mountain like that here on Jeju, too, but we set it on fire once a year. Maybe they do that here, too. Or someone needs to explain some things to Japanese Smokey the Kumo (Bear).
The two metal lines on the street here were grates, and really, really hot air was coming out of them due to the hot springs' water flowing all over the place.
Just when you thought this was boring: INITIAL-D CAR!!!!!!! WHAT?!?!
You might think we're approaching something of cultural significance here, but it's actually much more exciting: the beginning of our tour of the Seven Hells (jigoku). You even get a map where you can get a stamp from each of the hells to show your level of depravity.
Hell 1: within the range of normalcy. Lots of steaming water and a weird aquarium. Okay...
Hell 2: What's so surprising?
Maybe it's this highly improbable turn of events?
Seriously!?!?!
Welp, I'm done; this place has lost it's mind.
Oh, never mind. There are baby gators, so everything is fine.
Turns out alligators love steam, so might as well raise a billion of them here?
Why do you look so evil even though you are soooo small?
My new little buddy.
Hell 3: This image doesn't do the color of that water justice.
So, dared hannah to drink the 80ยบ C water. This gif is how it went down.
P.S. She lived, said water was salty.
Ben needed a gif here too, so what?
Hell 4: accompanied by... flamingos?
Capybaras? What is actually happening here? I came to look at hot springs?!
Ok, here we go, feeling better; this is what I came for: weird-colored, steaming water, and things like...
WHAT THE LITERAL ***** IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?! AM I IN FANTASIA?
Ok, Hell 5, back to reality. Absolutely beautiful hot springs with a lily pond. Our favorite...
...and not just because of this guy!
Apparently it's awesome in the next dimension.
There were also tasty snacks here, like hard-boiled eggs,
or this pudding steamed by the hot spring. ^_~
After all this walking, this incredibly hot water at
the point of mildly uncomfortable felt...nice?
Hell 6: Mud hell. These hot springs we filled with grey clay. They bubbled and spattered
everywhere in a ton of weird anamorphic blobs.
Please come home with me, Mr. Pengu.
Hannah being a bit cocky. Pun-tastrophe.
Actual used car lot. Let's just say moving here was considered, just so we could own this vehicle.
Cat bus huuuuuuuuuuuug.
If only our cat bus could have whisked us back to our ryokan, but alas... we walked all the way back, completing something like nine or ten miles for the afternoon... exercise hell?
Once back at the Umikaoru Yado Hotel New Matsumi, it was time to eat our sweet kaiseki dinner (which they even made vegetarian for me!).
Needless to say, this was one happy man.
'
Roasting some veggies and meat over the Sterno-heat.
Dumplings, prepare to be destroyed. After this meal, the yukata in our rooms seemed more fitting loungewear... (though some people did wear them to dinner, so you can totally do that, in case you were wondering.)
She's a real beauty.
I wonder if the hotel would let me buy that vase.
Oh? My wife you ask? Yeah, she's alright I guess.
Our room actually piped up hot spring water to our semi-outdoor private hot tub.
Nice to watch the waves crash on the shore outside... until you realized awkwardly that there were people strolling on said shore, outside your bath window...
A solid night's sleep, another sweet kaiseki breakfast, and then it was time to journey to Yufuin!
This is the path we took but not the transportation. We took a train. Cause the Bus be for suckas.
Yeah! ...Hey, waaaaaait, I've been taking the bus lately!
The train ride was an interesting mix of gorgeous farmland, rivers, several waterfalls, and sometimes very strange randomness.
I think you'll see what we mean.
Hannah, the lone Japanese Beatle. (Abbey Road Beatles, not the weird green
Japanese beetles that plagued Virginia for many years during my youth.)
Once we arrived in Yufuin, it was time to explore the town, a.k.a. to discover for the first time the world's most unnecessary soft-serve ice cream, Cremia: 25% is heavy whipping cream.
And, you know, see spectacular scenery, too.
At first, I thought this was wheat. Turns out it's rice. Shows how much I know.
Just wow. Oh, and ducks for Hannah in the foreground.
SOO MUCH MOSS.
This is why we don't grow chestnuts in our yard.
Because we wouldn't have feet after the first yield.
Go to Japan. Buy this drink!
Go to Yufuin. Stand on this bridge. Marvel.
So I guess a Viking Jarl lives here just to warn Japan of the coming Ragnarรถk.
Hannah opened up shop here to earn money for the Cat Bus car.
It was actually that big. In your face, tall tales about fish!
After wandering the fields and lake area, we came to a charming little town area with lots of shops selling items such as...
Rice gluten balls covers in red bean paste.
Well, when you put it that way... it sounds delicious.
I am a child.
Ah yes, Halloween! A decently big deal in Japan, while it barely registers in Korea.
Hannah's Miyazaki paradise was here. No pictured were allowed inside...
...so it's a good thing there were giant Totoros/cat bus outside.
Even Yufuin's train station was charming.
Train reads: Yellow One Man. Hannah decided that was me.
The actual train we took, though, was the Yufuin no Mori: surprisingly charming train through beautiful countryside back to Fukuoka, featuring all sorts of different train promotions like special mints, snacks, etc. Would highly recommend. Plus, you get to have train pictures?
Beautiful, beautiful, volcano-y Kyushu. Did I mention there was a lot of ash spewing out of the volcano in the center of the island the week before we went?
From Yufuin, we arrived in Fukuoka and stayed two nights in the middle of the city near the Apple store. We were both happy and dismayed to discover that we'd found the coolest place in Fukuoka to stay: every neighborhood we ventured into outside of ours was slightly or significantly less cool than ours.
One of the highlights was definitely Pura Vida, an awesome pub within a few blocks of our apartment that served amazing small plates of all kinds including fried avocado, fried chicken with egg salad & tartar sauce, and smoked soy sauce so good we ordered a bottle to take home. Plus, they spoke some Spanish there! Unfortunately, this mostly-destroyed appetizer of the fried avocado is mostly decimated, but it shows the smoked soy sauce and generally conveys the idea that this place was ridiculously good.
After a very fun dinner, we turned in for the night and then woke up the next morning to explore the town:
Like the sign says.
I think this is an IKEA?
The miniest mini.
I think your building needs to see a dog groomer or something.
Giant inflatable Tanukis (Raccoon trickster spirits).
This mall was insane.
We ended up over here at the Canal City mall as we wandered around waiting for Fukuoka's famous food stalls to open up. Crazy architecture and a weird vibe from lots of emptiness, which seemed especially odd on a Friday afternoon.
Hannah at a dessert bar... because she's awesome and dessert is awesome.
(To give this picture more context, we'd just sat watching a woman in high-heeled high-tops sit at the bar for the last half-hour in the exact same pose, which Ben insisted I replicate for posterity since we couldn't bring ourselves to be creepy enough to surreptitiously snap photos of a stranger.
...I then consoled myself with a giant waffle with a whole bunch of fruit & ice cream on it.)
I made a friend.
After a day of much walking and Fukuoka-exploring, we rested up for THE BEST DAY OF OUR ENTIRE TRIP: our voyage to Ainoshima, a small, scenic island off the coast of Kyushu, reachable by train then ferry courtesy of the very helpful directions from ZoomingJapan. Why this island, you may ask?
72-CAT DAY, THAT'S WHY.
After arriving at Nishitetsu-Shingu station and briefly getting lost in the very small town (then redeeming ourselves by going to a local bakery for some morning melon pan and milk tea), we wandered our way to Shingu port, where we were greeted by the very encouraging sight of about seven cats chilling around the port.
This cat and I are in a hate-hate relationship.
Aww, this is adorable.
And inaccurate. There are no cats on this diagram.
YESSSSSSSSSS, ON THE FERRY TO CAT ISLAND!
Ben is less excited but being an incredibly good sport.
Symmetry. That's maybe the first time I've typed that word and now I have the distinct feeling that the word that refers to this concept should be a palindrome.
OMG, she's adorable
Cat #1 on cat island!
This is proof of when Hannah bought us two children's tickets for the ferry.
It all seems so obvious now looking back at this...
...but at the time, it just seemed to be indicating that these tickets would be the most fun...
Sneaky Kitty.
Aww, maybe long cat wants to be your friend.
Nope, he and his fellow cat gang members are jerks and they just want your snacks.
CATS ARE JERKS.
After seeing another fifteen cats or so, we decided to get on with the business of circumnavigating the island... to look for more cats. The hike around probably took us about two hours, plus some stops to take pictures/babble about cats.
Children training for something. I love everything about this.
Majestic doom for flies.
Once we passed the school and the spider doom, we came upon a cove...
Which way did he go?
Amazingly, on the beach filled with stones, there were clear paths made with the stones for you to walk either direction. Must. Have. Taken. For. Ever.
The rock formations are really cool.
I have an idea... let's go to an island devoid of cats.
NOPE!!!
Ainoshima = gorgeous!
These were some old rock tombs from the original inhabitants of the island. CATS. I mean...
There were also hawks everywhere, dozens of hawks.
They, too, were jerks. Every time I would try to get a photo, they would fly into the sun and the camera would magnify the light into a beam and give me very unhelpful LASIK.
Inspired by hawks. Let the nature-y pictures begin!
I don't know why, but +1 for craftmanship.
In case you're wondering, no, this didn't end up going anywhere good.
I guess when you live on an island, it's not like there is a ton of room for a dump, so just leave your broken stuff wherevs.
First of all, it's weird this is a hawk and not a pigeon on a telephone pole. The other difference between this and a pigeon is I was afraid after realizing this particular telephone pole-hawk did not like having his picture taken, highlighted by his terrifying, angry, red eyeball.
Ahhhh yes, back to cats!
This guy took a picture of a cat and then was swiftly picked apart by
the over-saturated hawk population.
Awww, cats cuddling... with a saw blade?
Definitely in a gang. I steered clear.
Ahhhh, refreshing milk tea!
Ben, obviously loving this.
Hannah failing at getting a jump shot.
Hannah failing at getting a jump shot part 2
Yup.
;_;'''' After all that success... back to the boat!
Goodbye, Ainoshima, and God speed. Good thing Shingu port had another 15 cats waiting for us!
Well, if the bird would stop littering,
I would stop punching it in its adorable head.
From there, we took the train to Saitozaki and wandered down to the shore for the sunset. Nothing else too exciting that we discovered, though there was an amusement park-type attraction a few stops before we got off.
On the way back, we stopped at Hakata Station to get vegan bento boxes from Evah Dining thanks to the tip from this blog. Sooooo delicious, and nice to get discounts at the end of the day! We saved these for our breakfast for the airport and were not disappointed. Would definitely recommend!
A few more pictures of our "neighborhood" all lit up before turning in for the night:
A face-tasm = ?????
View from our Fukuoka Apartment
Ah, Kyushu! Overall, a stunningly beautiful island from what we saw of it, and from what we hear, Kyushu is building Olle trails all around it to mimic Jeju's walking trails, so it sounds like we'll need to go again to investigate new parts: Spring 2017, anyone?
