My Kyushu Adventure

Hey everybody~!

So this week I went to Kyushu from Nagoya by Shinkansen or the bullet train. My mom and I went for five nights and six days, going to different cities/towns each day by train. It was VERY tiring because I was sick the whole time and it was raining most of the time. >.<

Day 1

My mother and I first went to Kagoshima city from Nagoya by Shinkansen early morning, which took about 3 hours. When we finally got off, we were picked up a friend who drove us to Miyakonojo in Miyazaki Prefecture, which was our first stop of our trip. It was really cloudy and rainy, and because of this, we were unable to see most of the mountains and scenery along the way. We stopped by their house for a few hours and then we went to a restaurant. We met up with some more friends and we all had yakiniku (Korean bbq) and shabu-shabu (a dish where thin slices of meat are dipped in boiling water along with vegetables). The meat was extremely delicious and it's seemed more fresh than the ones in United States!

After eating dinner, we all to a friend's dance studio and talked some more. At that studio, there were nine miniature dachshund. They were so cute~! Most of the time I was playing with them. Here's a picture of some of them!

That night, my mother and I stayed at a business hotel.

Day 2

The next morning we checked out at 10am. We went towards Kirishima, Miyazaki Prefecture by car with the same friend we met up on the first day. Along the way, we all ate some REALLY good soba and udon for lunch. I had tempura udon and the noodles were really soft!

We went to Kirishima-jingu, which is a shinto shrine. There, I prayed and bought an omamori (charm) for a friend of mine!




We all, then, went to an onsen in Kirishima, where we rubbed mud all over our bodies. Supposedly, by rubbing the mud on our bodies, it makes our skin very smooth. After, my mother and I stayed at a hotel at Kirishima, which also had an onsen. However, I did not get a chance to go inside. -.-''

Day 3

This day, my mom and I went to Yufuin in Oita Prefecture. The town was very cute! There were many cute shops and food shops along the main street. While walking to the hotel, we stopped by many shops including one called Donguri no Mori (translated to "Acorn Forest"). There, a lot of Ghibli goods were sold such as Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, etc. However, they were all expensive! :( Along the way, we became hungry, so we bought this type of food called bakudan-yaki ("fried dynamite"). It was exactly like takoyaki (fried octopus ball), but much bigger. Apparently, the store was featured on T.V. Anyway, the picture of bakudan-yaki is on the left!

Day 4

After the night at Yufuin, my mom and I went to a friend's relative's hotel in Oita Prefecture. All I can say is that it was really nice because those we met were all very nice and welcoming! Also, the hotel was all the way deep inside the mountains and the scenery were very nice! But because of the rain, we were unable to see the stars during the night. :(

That night, my mother and I went in the onsen, where half of the village shares the bath (there's 10 families in the whole village!). Again, it was very relaxing and nice. :) We also ate some REALLY great food. All of it was really fresh and I loved it! I had horse meat for the first time as well and I liked it a lot. 

Day 5

When my mom and I checked out of the hotel, we were taken to Rakan-ji, which is a Soto temple in Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture. It stands on the side of a mountain and we had to get on a lift in order to visit the temple. When we got off the lift, we walked towards the main hall of the temple, where there was a lot of Buddha sculptures along the way. It was interesting, but a bit scary at the same time because all of the sculptures were really old (apparently, the temple was made in 1337!). We wrote our wishes on a shyamoji when reaching the main hall, and we attached them on the wall along with many others. An example of how we done it is right below! Before we left the temple, I bought myself an omamori that brings happiness! ^.^ It has two little cherry blossoms on it and I attached it to a little pouch of mine. 

After the temple, my mother and I went towards Hakata, Fukouka Prefecture and met up with a long time family friend. Unlike the places we visited, Hakata is more of a city. We all stayed in a gigantic hotel that has an onsen along with a game room, a library, and other cool stuff. It was pretty cool just walking around the hotel!

Day 6

During the last day, we all stopped by Dazaifu, Fukouka Prefecture before my mother and I went back to Hakata and then to Nagoya late at night. Although there were a lot of stores for tourists, we went straight to Daizaifu Tenman-gu, which is a Shinto shrine. There, I prayed that I'll do well in my studies during my time in Kansai Gaidai. 

In general, the trip was a wonderful experience and it was so nice meeting friends as well as new people! Although I was sick, I would love to go back to Kyushu. Hopfully when I feel better and not during rainy season. 

This week, I'll be in Nagoya the whole time and I'll be relaxing. 

Until next time! Sayonara~! ^.^