24/12/2015
Kyushu Life 3 Months pass! But my journ…
Do you know we can change our visions by going out from our house to somewhere and exploring the world? Some people may interest in huge cities that have crowd of people but that's not me. I'm more interest in somewhere that have stories and Kyushu is one of the best place that I can go around to learn more about their story, remember it in my memory and also write it down in my blog (http://www.kazekim.com).
My journey started from October when I've arrived here in exchange student program for half a year. Let's see what's going on my last 3 months. What's happened in my new world and what I learn from my experience?
19/12/2015
JAPANESE HOLIDAY IN KYUSHU (Part 2: to…
The next day we started our tour of the Aso Caldera area with a few days at Mt Aso. We first booked into our hotel and then wandered around the village in pursuit of a shrine which we did not find; it turned out to be a long walk exploring the surrounding flatlands and cultivated fields. We had previously left our bags at the hotel but could not clock in until 3pm. Found good coffee and snacks in the cafe next to the hotel and noted that opposite the hotel was a very good patisserie, had to participate each day. (Does this show that we revert to our European roots!!?)The hotel is referred to as a ryokan. However we were a bit taken back when we saw it was a 20th century high rise building. We had a “Japanese room”, but a bit faded and a lot of imitation wood. The futons seemed rather thin, so sleeping on the floor, not the most comfortable for us. It did however have a seating area with chairs. The reception staff are cheerful and helpful, but the eating arrangements are more like eating in the works canteen and the women who kind of clear up and deliver your food look as miserable as sin. This to us seems very unusual because Japanese people are usually cheerful and friendly. On one occasion we actually walked out thinking the meal had finished, before being summoned back for a couple of pieces of fruit.
Friday off to the Volcano Museum, cannot walk anywhere near Nakadake as it is a little active. Looked around the museum, but it is looking a bit tired and in need of a revamp. We also did the circuit of allowed walks, guards being on duty to stop you straying into prohibited areas. Before coming to this area we had heard that there was a local helicopter trip, but it took a lot of finding! We finally discovered that if you went to Cuddly Dominion then they contained the flights. Cuddly Dominion is a kind of children’s zoo. Not so sure about the treatment of the animals, but you have to pay the entrance fee for this, in order to be able to get on the helicopter. A beautiful day so flew as close as we (or the pilot) could to the crater. Well worth doing.
17/12/2015
Summer in Kyushu! Hakata Gion Yamakasa …
Having lived in Singapore all my life, I always thought hot weather is not a problem for me.
16/12/2015
Kyushu round island trip
清水竹灯り aka Bamboo light festival is an annual event in Ogi , Saga. Every year from 15Nov to 23rd Nov it will be held. This is my first time seeing Bamboo light up and was very amazed by how it's done. Not because they did the carving on the bamboos , but to light up so many candles every night for this event is a huge task, Yes it's not electric light bulbs but candles like those use in aromatherapy , there must be at least 1000s of it. and the grand finale is the light up at the waterfall. The other thing about visiting events like this in Japan is that , transport is well taken care of to prevent traffic jams. They provided free shuttle bus services at 2 different carparks to the event place.
12/12/2015
Ureshii! Ureshino (嬉野) – top three be…
Beauty - no longer a daily-topic just for the ladies, men too, are getting more receptive towards grooming.
If you are going to Kyushu and would like to indulge into a holistic retreat (be it as a solo or a family trip), you will never choose to miss going to:
Ureshino Onsen Town in Saga 佐賀Prefecture (northwest part of Kyushu Island): 1 of the top 3 beauty onsen in Japan!!!
I did a day-trip from Hakata ward of Fukuoka Prefecture/ City (so simple! so convenient to a gaikokujin/foreigner who doesn't know Japanese language) and it will not take you more than 100 minutes to reach the onsen town from Hakata.
So what is so happy and wonderful/ureshii about Ureshino? Ladies and gentlemen, vain or not, read on!
11/12/2015
8 Reasons You Should Explore Kurokawa O…
Japan's age-old onsen culture is one of the many unique aspects of this delightfully quirky island nation. Although there is an endless array of onsen hotspots to choose from in this country, Kurokawa Onsen Village stands out among the rest as one of the most beloved places by amateur onsen-goers and seasoned experts alike. The onsens in this beautiful, mountainous area of Kumamoto prefecture are abundant, steamy, serene, and easily accessible to everyone!
Nearly four months ago, my husband and I moved to a sleepy Japanese town in northern Miyazaki as English teachers with the JET Program. After a visit to Fukuoka, we elected to take the back roads home, which turned out to be one of the best decisions we’ve made. We’re just cheap so we wanted to avoid paying tolls, but we had no idea about the hidden gem we were about to stumble upon! Just as we had started looking for an onsen where we could take a quick soak on the way, we saw the sign for Kurokawa Onsen Village. Neither of us had heard of an onsen village before so we jumped at the opportunity. After a wonderful, fresh meal of meat, mountain potatoes, and other vegetables cooked over hot coals in the middle of our table, we set out to find an onsen. What we found was one of the oldest, most beautiful, indoor-outdoor onsens we’ve ever been to.
27/11/2015
Unforgettable Kyushu with my mom
Konnichiwa, everybody. I’m Tan from Bangkok. This is the first time in my life to travel with my mom in a foreign country. My mom has visited Japan a couple of times before. Specifically, she has been to Tokyo and Osaka with tour agents. I, myself, have traveled with friends to several cities in Japan during the past few years. But, for both of us, this is our first visit to Kyushu.
My mom was very impressed with Kyushu because of her last experienced in Japan mostly with tour agents and travelling in the big city but actually she really like country-side more than city-side.
Thanks to the nature of Kyushu that make her very happy. She said to me, “This is like the first time that I can feel really Japan.”
26/11/2015
My Second Kyushu Trip
I visited Kyushu again during 13-19 November 2015. My first time in Kyushu was in the same month of last year. Why Kyushu? The answer is because of the beautiful scenery of many perfectures and of course because of hot springs.
This year I've been to Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Saga and Oita Perfectures. With the rented car, I could go to many attractions. Kikuchi Keikoku Valley was also one of my destinations.