Friday, April 09, 2010

Kyushu by car II (Miyazaki and Kumamoto)

Haniwa, a bit of a trip theme


ritual cleaning basin at Aso-jinja


Aso-san, recently burnt for new growth


clouds wisping out of the crater


I was reprimanded for not posting the "money shot" from the love hotel


Takachiho gorge


Takachiho-jinja


the waterfall at Takachiho


J pretending he's falling


more Takachiho


Down the river from the gorge, rocks are stacked vertically in Buddhist tradition, to make a safer and happier place for the spirits of the dead.








every direction you looked, as far as people could reach, there were stone piles


Ama-no-Iwato-jinja


NOoooo!


businessmen walking to Aoshima-jinja


Aoshima-jinja and an Obachan (grandma)


J investigating the Giant's Washboard


within Udo-jingu's cave

Udo's cliffs


a view down and into the cave


secret island cave shrine near Udo-jingu


views from the cave




Kumamoto castle


flowers and lantern


yukizakura (cherry blossom snow)


in my natural habitat


walking up to our final shrine in Kumamoto-shi


sakura petals


That just about wraps it up. From Kumamoto, we headed back home to Toyama. The return trip was a rainy affair, but we are back, safe and sound.

Next up is a Golden Week camping trip. Not sure if we'll head to Gifu's mountain area, or somewhere coastal and therefore warmer. I suppose it depends on the weather. Either way, we're doing cheap and local this time around!

Monday, April 05, 2010

Kyushu by car



Last Friday around 3 am, we woke up and headed down route 8 to the highway. J drove till nearly 4pm that evening, when we arrived in Shimonoseki, just north of Kyushu. We stopped, visited a few temples, had dinner, and did a bit of yoga in a nearby park with a view of the bridge we'd soon be going over to the last island we had to thoroughly investigate. The map on our wall is covered with pins marking where in Japan, J and I have visited over the past 7 (for him) and 5 (for me) years we've been here. Poor wall is going to look like Swiss cheese by the time we're out of here.

I won't go on an on, but will post pictures from the trip, with some short descriptions. Hope you enjoy!

so, they're a little fugu (blowfish) crazy in Shimonoseki
did I mention the fugu?

fugu fins posted to dry outside of a local store



inside the Akama Shrine


J's shot of the boat at Akama's gate


Miko sweeping at Tenman-gu


J captured a shot of a Miko training troupe


path to Tenman-gū shrine in Dazaifu


lest you think we take ourselves too seriously


shishi antics


raked rock garden


vampire dog (check out that cape!) at the shrine Saturday market


the one that J likes at Sofukuji in Nagasaki


"shattered glass" door design at Kokufuji in Nagasaki


J discovering Nagasaki in Ryoma Sakamoto's boots


me too!


don't mess with carpentry donkey/horse


Suwa Shrine from a distance


the approach to Suwa


wandering the hillside temples


my new friend and her mom next to the single tori in Nagasaki


the martyr's monument


yup... that's Kannon riding on the back of a massive turtle


he's yelling at you to remember about beef

learning about pork is also important


Nagasaki Peace Park (beefy statue in distance)


bask in his beefiness


J peeking out

tree after the blast


the tree's great comeback!


a fat pony at Yutoku


Yutoku Inari-jinja


sakura in full bloom


a very subtle love hotel advertisement we saw on the way to Aso


heading into the Aso-shi caldera


J playing kitchen wench at our cold-ass campsite on Aso-san


vegan sausage yum


J's moon shot


there was ice on the car and the tent in the morning


Alright, that's a little over 1/2 way. I'll save the rest for another post. It's off to study for now.