First I went to Mt. Aso, the largest active caldera in the world. The town of Aso sits in the northern part of this giant circle of mountains, the remains of the crater of an ancient volcano. In the center of the crater are five newer volcanos. I stayed at the hostel in Aso town, enjoying chatting with travelers from Spain, Italy, and Korea. The next morning I headed up into the volcanoes. Mt. Naka, or Naka-dake, is the most active of the bunch. The Lonely Planet warned that it goes off every now and then, killing tourists each time, but one might worry more about the constant stream of noxious gases coming out of the vent. LP advised to breathe carefully so as not to "succumb" to the gases. However, the hundreds of tourists on the mountain that day, mostly Japanese, did not seem at all distressed, so I followed them to the crater.
Approaching the crater of Naka-dake, you see the tourists pearing in the hole at the top. I took this photo to prove to my mom that I was not being reckless, climbing to the top of an active volcano. Apparently it is a popular thing to do. Notice the shelters for cover in case of an emergency. With a bit of adrenaline pulsing through me, I walked up to the viewing area.
Smiling in front of the stunning, steaming crater of Naka-dake!
I couldn't smell any noxious gases so I continued on a hike to the top of the mountains. The landscape was surreal! On the way up I chatted with my new Spanish friend about the teaching conditions at his school, especially for his many Gypsy students. He has a Ph.D in international law because apparently it is quite easy and cheap to get a Ph. D in Spain. Nice.
The view from the top, before the rain started.
The view from the top, after the rain started. With the rain so came the wind, bringing a slightly noxious odor with it. As I hurried down the mountain, I hoped I would not succumb. My mouth tasted like sulphur as I said hello to hikers on their way up. From the tourist area I could hear an announcement from a loud-speaker in Japanese. What was it saying???Well, I survived, though I was pretty drenched. I left Aso for another mountain town, Takachiho, famous for its beautiful gorge. It was getting dark when I arrived, however, so I just checked in to a ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn. The Lonely Planet gives careful instructions on how to behave in such an establishment. First you must take off your shoes, of course, but I've already become accustomed to doing this in my apartment so I knew the routine. Then you put on a special pair of slippers and follow someone to your room. You step out of the slippers to step onto the tatami mat floor in the sleeping area. Here you can change into your summer kimono and drink the tea provided. Relax, but don't put anything in the "sacred alcove," cautioned the Lonely Planet.
Here I am in my summer kimono, drinking tea, and trying to ignore the fact that there is a television in my sacred alcove. Ryokans usually provide dinner but I guess since I showed up without a reservation I was on my own. I can't recommend Takachiho for its night life or dining establishments, but I can thank the nice owner of the restaurant I finally found, who translated the menu and gave me a free bottle of shochu, a local spirit, the first of many gifts I would receive in the next few days.
The next morning, after sleeping on a quaint but hard futon on the tatami floor, I got up early to take a bus further into the mountains. I wanted to climb Mt. Sobo, the second highest mountain in Kyushu (I think). The last town before the trailhead is Gokasho, where I bought provisions from a tiny old woman at a tiny old store. She kept talking to me, and I kept explaining that I didn't understand Japanese, which made her laugh and give me extra food and drink!
Now I was ready to go up Sobo, but the trailhead was still quite far up a windy road. I started to hike up the road, but was offered a ride by a kind man who I later learned was named Buddha. His van was packed with outdoor equipment and he looked a real hard-core hiker. I did not look like a hard-core hiker, Buddha thought, because I was wearing Chacos instead of hiking boots. I tried to explain (Buddha did not speak English) that I've worn Chacos on many hikes and assured him that I would be fine, but Buddha insisted that I take a pair of sturdier shoes from his stash. I finally put on the shoes and agreed to leave them by his van when I came down the mountain in the morning.
The hike went straight uphill, my backpack was heavy, and it was HOT! But the shoes from Buddha came in handy on the muddy slopes of Mt. Sobo! I hiked through cedar trees and bamboo, past butterflies and songbirds, pausing for the occasional self-portrait.
At first I thought this creature was a snake, but then I realized it was a shiny, blue, foot-long worm!
After dropping off my sweaty pack at a hut near the summit, I proceeded to this awesome viewpoint. I had the top all to myself for awhile, but was soon joined by some other hikers, including Buddha, who made me a cup of coffee on his campstove! Buddha must have had a tent, because he didn't show up at the hut for the night, where my Japanese phrasebook provided for endless entertainment with my fellow backpackers. I got up early the next morning and enjoyed the hike down, where I was pleased to see Buddha waiting for me at the trailhead. I gave him back his shoes and he gave me another cup of coffee. I asked him where he was from and he got an atlas out of the van. Instead of pointing to a city in Japan, he pointed to the map of the world, indicating that the whole world was his home. Buddha, it turns out, is a nomad outdoorsman. He lives out of his van and travels around the mountains of Asia, hiking, mountain biking, and camping. With his atlas and my phrasebook we discussed the places we've seen and where we want to go. He pointed to a map of the world religions and asked if I was Christian. I said no and he pointed to the other religions to each of which I still said no. He nodded and pointed to the sky and mountains and said "God-o," indicating that, like himself, God lived everywhere. I decided to agree with this sentiment and I wondered if my Buddha was actually THE Buddha. He seemed very wise. When I put on my backpack to continue hiking back to town, he insisted on giving me a ride, even though he planned to spend a few more days hiking around Mt. Sobo. Thank you Buddha! He dropped me off at the shop in town to wait for the bus, where the little old woman was delighted to see me. Apparently not many single foreign women climb Mt. Sobo. The woman gave me fruit and snacks and kept trying to refill a glass of milk for me while she continued to talk, I continued to tell her I didn't understand, and she continued to laugh and shake my hand. At the next bus stop, as I waited to transfer back to Takachiho, another woman made my day when she offered me a peach. Back in Takachiho, after learning it would be two hours till the next bus I needed, I went to find a store where I could charge my cell phone. I asked a woman on the way where the store was, and she jumped in her car, indicated for me to get in, and drove me to the cell phone store, which was of course closed. She drove me back to the bus station and gave me some candy. I stopped a man and asked where I could get some noodles for lunch, and he walked all over trying to find me an appropriate eatery. Then he helped me find the right bus to Kumamoto, and then he followed me on to the bus to Kumamoto, at which point I worried that after so much kindness I had finally attracted a stalker. I relaxed a bit when he got off a few stops later, and eventually made it to Kumamoto. I was meeting my new friend Lori in Yamaga for the annual lantern festival. I'd been traveling all day but barely made it to Yamaga in time to see the end of the fireworks, throngs of happy people, and a group of the famous lantern ladies run by. I found Lori by the taiko drummers, but we could not find a place to stay for the night as the town was thoroughly packed and the hotels were thoroughly booked. So we found a place back in Kumamoto and made plans to return to Yamaga for the second night of the festival.
The next day Lori and I went to a hot springs town called Kikuchi. The rain prevented us from going out to the nearby gorge for a hike, but we did find the town quite pleasant and I had my first sushi in Japan!
Mmm, nigiri! It was great to be with Lori after a couple of days of being on my own. Most Japanese people speak a little English, but not much, so I was forced to speak like a two-year old most of the time, expressing myself with one word at a time, using my hands and laughing a lot. With Lori I couldn't stop talking as I was so glad to have a full conversation again! 
Kikuchi is famous for its many onsen, or hot springs baths, some of which are rotemburo, or outdoor onsen. We paid 500 yen (5 bucks) to relax in the rain in this nice rotemburo. Heaven!
We returned to Yamaga to find the festival a bit less crowded than the night before, due to the pouring rain. Still, the festival-goers carried umbrellas, enjoyed the brief breaks in the shower, and waited for the lantern ladies to come out. Many women and men were dressed in summer kimonos for the festivities, and the streets were lined with quaint shops and food vendors.
These girls were dressed for the performance of the evening, when all the women of the town wear paper lanterns on their heads and dance through the streets. I looked forward to the spectacle, but was disappointed to learn that the big performance was canceled, as the rain would not treat the paper lanterns well. The ladies of Yamaga would have to wait till next year to dance with the lanterns again. I may be there to see them!
Yamaga is also an onsen town, and like Kikuchi it provides locals and visitors with a warm foot bath in the town center. I enjoyed the hot water and my okonomiyaki, or "Japanese pancake," on a stick. We also ordered some chicken yakitori on a stick, but were disappointed to get skewers of grilled chicken skin instead. 
The festival is such a big deal in Yamaga that the sewer covers celebrate the dancing lantern ladies!
We explored a side street with lots of lanterns but no people. At the end of the street we found an old sake brewery where we sampled local spirits and bought some souvenirs, including a Hello Kitty Lantern Lady cellphone charm and some special Lantern Festival sake!
A few ladies donned lanterns for photo-ops with festival-goers. You could buy your own lantern headpiece for a mere 200 bucks! It had stopped raining by now, but the rest of the ladies were not planning to wear their lanterns or dance. Oh well, there's always next year!
These future lantern ladies had fun at the festival anyways! And so did we! We returned to our charming minshuku (Japanese bed and breakfast) in Kumamoto for the night with plans to visit the famous Kumamoto castle in the morning. It was raining again when we woke up, however, so we decided not to spend a humid, rainy morning at the castle but to return in the fall for a more pleasant visit. We caught the next bus back to Fukuoka and while I had a great time on my Kyushu adventure, I was glad to return to my apartment in Fukuoka. Tonight we had dinner with the other newly arrived new teachers, who have come from teaching posts in Mongolia, Taiwan, and Qatar! One more teacher should come on Tuesday, making our group total six new teachers. The school is frantically searching for two more teachers, however, as one old teacher and one new-hire quit their contracts at the last minute. So if anyone wants to teach middle school math or science, Fukuoka International School needs you! Anyhow, I'll be spending the week exploring the city and continuing my orientation at school. Official school meetings start next Monday and students arrive Thursday the 28th. I'm excited to meet more FIS teachers but also to get out into the town and perhaps make some friends on my own. I'm thinking of studying Japanese and Aikido so I may look into that soon. In the meanwhile I'm back online and love getting emails so keep them coming! I'm posting all the photos from my trip on Picasa so feel free to check them out. I miss everyone at home, but am very content here, surrounded by friendly people and green mountains and dreams of ladies dancing with lanterns on their heads.
Oh yeah, here's what I was supposed to see at the Yamaga Lantern Festival:
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=yzzATLuTOvE
http://akyt91.web.infoseek.co.up/yamaga/2004-8-16yamaga-1.wmv
1 comment:
Hello, Ali!!You look great in the pictures.I think it will take some time for me to read all of your exciting stories ^^.I'll visit again. Please say hello to Kj,cenk and your parents^^.
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