Kyushu, Day 9: Nagasaki A-Bomb Museum

Our visit in ATOMIC BOMB MUSEUM was very depressing but at the same time I felt that we must not shy away from visiting it. I wrote a lengthy post in IG on this day and I still stand by it. Japan definitely fucked up the Philippines during WWII and I can still recall the horrifying experiences shared by surviving comfort women when I was in college. Every deed that the Japanese soldiers did was unforgivable.

But, we cannot deny that the deaths of the innocent citizens in Nagasaki and Hiroshima were also unjustifiable. It put a stop to the war… but at what cost? May what happened be a lesson that in any war, no one wins and only casualties are gained.

Some of the stuff inside the museum were the wall clock that stopped at the time of atomic bomb explosion, a replica of Urakami Cathedral’s wall remnant, and videos showing uncensored dead bodies / injured survivors.

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There was also a replica of the atomic bomb (called “Fat Man”) and what it contained inside.

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When I read the poems made to the atomic bombing, I had to put a lot of effort not to cry really hard. C and I were not talking after our visit and had to eat after just to put some good vibes…

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We visited IWASAKI HONPO near our Airbnb. Famous for its kakuni manju (¥400 per piece), we bought 6 pieces to share. The meat serving size was generous and it had a kinda melt-in-your-mouth texture. That brought up our mood to a bit of better one.

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We bought castella (¥1,200) at FUKUSAYA, one of the famous shops in Nagasaki.

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It was time for us to return to Fukuoka and for dinner, we decided to go to ICHIRAN to boost our mood again. We got the premium tonkotsu (kamadare style) set (¥1,580) which included extra chashu slices, tamago, nori, and kikuage. Only the Tenjin Nishidori branch and Hakata Station branch serves the kamadare style Ichiran ramen.

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This was C’s first time to try Ichiran ramen and she really, really enjoyed the experience.

Kyushu, Day 9: Nagasaki Peace Park

MARCH 12, 2020

Going to NAGASAKI’S PEACE PARK, we got off Ohashi Station instead of Peace Park. We decided to start at the end of the park then walk our way towards A-Bomb Museum.

Our first encountered monument was the Peace Statue which symbolized a lot of meanings:

• Right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons
• Left hand symbolizes tranquility and world peace
• Sturdy physique embodies divine omnipotence and love
• Closed eyes express prayer for the repose of the souls of all war victims
• Right leg is for quiet meditation
• Left leg is poised for action in assisting humanity

There was also a bell tower with a horrific account of a survivor from the atomic bombing in 1945…

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Other monuments / statues in the park were gifted by different countries as an act of grief and prayer to never experience the tragedy of nuclear weapons ever again.

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  Tree of Life

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  Hymn to Life

Similar to Hiroshima, Nagasaki’s Peace Park also had its Fountain of Peace.

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Near the park was the HYPOCENTER OF ATOMIC BOMB. There were info sheets detailing the tragedy that happened in 1945. The original remnant wall of Urakami Cathedral was also placed here.

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They also encased stones that were damaged by the atomic bomb which served as proof that even sturdy materials were not spared by the explosion and radiation. Another grim reminder on the horrible effects of nuclear weapon.

Kyushu, Day 8: Mount Inasa

MARCH 11, 2020

From Kumamoto, we headed to Nagasaki next. Bye Kumamon! Once we settled down in our Airbnb, we went to NAGASAKI ROPEWAY (Fuchi Shrine Station) to ride a cable car (¥1,250) going to the top of Mount Inasa.

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MOUNT INASA stands at 333 MASL and offers a 360-degree view not only of the city but also of the sea and islands beyond.

We waited for the sunset…

…and eventually for the evening view. I read in different articles online that they dub this as Nagasaki’s “million-dollar nighttime view”.

It was very windy and very cold though! Even the locals were screaming whenever the wind blowed. After taking in the view and taking pictures, we went down and headed back to the cable car station.

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Of all days I had to wear ripped jeans. LOL. For dinner, we went to Shiambashi Hountei to order their famous gyoza (¥800) but that was not enough to fill us. So we decided to buy 7-11 stuff.

Kyushu, Day 8: Kumamoto City

MARCH 11, 2020

Not going to leave Kumamoto without seeing the MONKEY D. LUFFY STATUE (One Piece). Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, grew up in Kumamoto and donated a huge amount of money after the devastating earthquake in 2016. To commemorate his generous act, the Kumamoto government decided to build statues of the Strawhat crew in different locations in Kumamoto.

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We went to KUMAMOTO CASTLE afterwards but we only saw the outside. The castle suffered serious damage from the 2016 earthquake and reconstruction is still ongoing.

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For lunch, we went to MATSUYA and ordered gyumeshi. But our curiosity was piqued with the cheese hamburg so we also got this but for sharing. Sooo good! Even better than the gyumeshi.

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Kyushu, Day 7: Kurokawa Onsen

We went to a good viewpoint after lunch and had a bit of good weather…

The tour spots in Mount Aso though were still foggy so we abandoned the idea that we can still go here. Helen brought us instead to NABEGATAKI FALLS. It is considered as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Japan, and it offers the experience of being able to go behind it.

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It was a very fun experience despite the rain. At that time, I thought that if it was summer season, it would be tempting to have your feet dipped into the water.

Our next (and last) stop was KUROKAWA ONSEN, one of the popular hot spring towns in Japan. What is interesting here is that you can buy a tegata (wooden pass) which you can use to go to 3 different onsen in the town aside from the ryokan where you booked. There is a shrine in the town where used tegata can be used as an ema.

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Near the shrine is a face steamer which we tried. Warning though that it gave off a bit of rotten egg smell.

Some more exploration of the town…

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…until we reached this ryokan known for its hot spring with beautifying effect. They had a free ashiyu so we took a quick rest here. The temperature was bearable especially because it was very cold on that day.

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Before going to Higo-ozu Station, Helen was kind enough to go to Ozu Central Park first so that we could check if Roronoa Zoro’s statue (One Piece) was already there. Unfortunately, nope.

We said our goodbyes then C and I had dinner in Ippudo. I tried the tantanmen – it was delicious but I still prefer my all-time favorite shiromaru. Hehe.

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Kyushu, Day 7: Aso Tour

MARCH 10, 2020

We met again with Helen (Explore Kumamoto) to do the full-day tour on Mount Aso. However, we had bad weather as it was raining and quite foggy. Good thing Helen was prepared with a back-up plan!

We went first to SHIRAKAWA FOUNTAINHEAD, Southern Aso’s most sacred and beautiful spring. Helen shared that this was one of Japan’s top 100 water sources and we could fill our bottle with the spring water. It was really nice that there was no weird taste plus the water was cold. Helen said that the temperature never changes.

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Next stop was KAMISHIKIMI KUMANO IMASU SHRINE. Quite a mouthful to say but Helen asked if we knew of Hotarubi no Mori e. I told her that I watched it and it was good for a short film. Apparently, this shrine was the inspiration for the setting of the film and the creator, Yuki Midorikawa, grew up in Aso region. Midorikawa-sensei is also the mangaka of Natsume Yuujinchou (Natsume’s Book of Friends), which I am a huge fan of.

The gloomy weather made the shrine look mystical and straight out of a manga setting. After paying respect in the shrine, we trekked uphill and Helen shared another folklore involving oni.

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The previous day, I shared with Helen that my most favorite manga / anime would be One Piece… and she told me we can visit the statue that was in Aso. HUHU SO NICE!!! We visited Usopp’s statue!

There was a local grocery nearby and I bought this Aso milk cheese pudding (¥300). Not a fan of milk but this was super yummy!

For lunch, she brought us to 鉄板焼 阿蘇まーぼー where we ordered akaushi teppanyaki (¥1,700). The owner cooked our akaushi to perfection (medium) and the egg was runny, yay!

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We spotted a shop nearby selling Cremia (¥500) sooo what else to do but buy, right?

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Kyushu, Day 6: More of Takachiho Tour

MARCH 9, 2020

After lunch, we visited TAKACHIHO SHRINE. The shrine is surrounded by Japanese cedar trees with the oldest estimated to be 1000 years old.

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Helen showed us the Meoto Sugi, believed to be a male and a female tree growing side by side and married to each other. She shared that walking around the two trees 3x clockwise with your partner will ensure happiness.

As usual, I was fascinated with the ema designs…

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Helen led us to the back area of the shrine and shared a story on how a god cut a demon’s body part to teach it a lesson never to come back. We also visited the theater where Kagura dance is performed every night.

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Our last stop was in Iwato, to visit the shrine and cave associated with Amaterasu, the sun goddess and Japan’s most revered kami. We went first to AMANO IWATO SHRINE.

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Helen shared the folklore on how Amaterasu became the most important kami in Shintoism – not gonna spoil it though! 😉 After visiting the shrine, we had a bit of a trek to reach AMANO YASUKAWARA CAVE.

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Helen asked us to pick up a stone from the shrine entrance before going here, and the custom was for us to place the stone on top of any pile of stones in the cave. In this way, our prayers may be answered. We had to be careful not to knock down the pile because each pile contains prayers from different people.

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  Samurai’s bath

We went back to Higo-Ozu Station and bid goodbye to everyone. Back at Kumamoto city, we had dinner at COCO ICHIBANYA and I got my favorite cheese hamburg with omelet.

Kyushu, Day 6: Takachiho Gorge Tour

MARCH 9, 2020

We availed a full-day tour in Takachiho via Explore Kumamoto and it was the best decision! While you can visit Takachiho (and even Mount Aso) on your own, it is difficult to move from one place to another due to lack of frequent public transpo.

Helen, our tour guide, was easy to talk to during the arrangement for this tour. My sister and I were very happy with her because she had a lot of stories to share during the tour. My favorite part was whenever she shared stories from Japanese myths and folklore. She also listened intently to our stories during the car ride and even if it was silent, it was not awkward.

We met her at Higo-ozu Station along with 3 other tourists. She brought a van so there was a lot of space for legroom and luggage.

Our first stop was a local farmer’s market with one of the best views of Mount Aso. That day was cloudy but thankfully, it was not raining.

Helen said that strawberries were in season so I bought a pack and finished it in one sitting.

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We went to another area afterwards with a better landscape view of the area.

After a long ride, we finally reached TAKACHIHO GORGE. Helen said that this was formed due to violent eruptions of Mount Aso thousands of years ago.

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She shared different stories including an oni being sealed in the area and the interesting rock formations caused by previous volcanic eruptions.

We eventually reached the spot where we can see the Manai Waterfalls, selected as one of the best 100 waterfalls in Japan.

After that, we saw a love shrine and a big pond with its center dubbed as the first island made.

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Next was the moment I was waiting for – riding a boat on the river. A new boating fee scheme was implemented wherein a boat rental costs ¥3,000 + ¥1,000 per person.

One of our tour companions joined me and C since he was a solo traveler. We had 30 minutes to row along the river and return to the dock. It was a bit difficult for our new companion to row and navigate because there were other boats around. We ended up getting wet a bit because we went too close to the waterfalls at one point.

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We still had fun especially because C and I did not have to row. Hehe. For lunch, we decided to eat in INAKAYA because they had chicken nanban (¥1,200) – karaage (fried chicken) with tartar sauce + a bit of vinegar taste. The restaurant beside Inakaya is the origin of nagashi soumen, wherein somen noodles flow down a bamboo with running water and you have to catch them with chopsticks then dip into the sauce.

The serving of the chicken nanban was huge! One order had 3 big pieces of fried chicken plus miso soup and pickled vegetables were also served. Perfect lunch after a looong morning.

Kyushu, Day 5: Kokutei Ramen (Kumamoto)

MARCH 8, 2020

How do you know you are in Kumamoto? When you see this mascot named Kumamon!

We ran a few errands after checking in and we found a great discovery for ofuro! It is called babu, a carbonated bath tablet. KAO is one of the popular brands for this and we bought the lavender variant. We used it every night and it was such a treat for the body ache/pain.

We finished around sunset and we decided to walk to our dinner place, which was almost 2km away. No regrets because we were treated to this view:

We ate dinner at KOKUTEI, famous for their Kumamoto-style ramen. Chicken is added to the tonkotsu broth and plenty of garlic is added – garlic oil and garlic chips. Right up my alley! I ordered their bestselling Tamagoiri ramen (¥1,250) and what was served was a bowl of ramen with pork fillets and two fresh egg yolks. The egg yolks added creamy texture to the broth which made it even nicer.

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No ramen meal is complete without an order of gyoza. Nomnom!

Kyushu, Day 5: Kagoshima Sights

MARCH 8, 2020

Main mission for this day was to visit Sengan-en so from Kagoshima-chuo Station, we rode the City View Bus to get there.

SENGAN-EN (¥1,000) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and famous for offering a good view of Sakurajima. The house lived in and loved by generations of the Shimadzu family can also be found here. There is also the garden area which spans 12 acres of land.

Some of the memorable spots we visited were:

• Reverberatory furnace
• Stone wall and site of Satsuma pottery kiln
• Crest of the Shimadzu family
• Initial part of the hiking trail

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We also saw Sakon-taro, a water-powered rice-husking machine that they used before to polish brown rice.

C bought a few cat goodies from a shop managed by an obaasan…

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…and there was also a cat shrine nearby.

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  Konan bamboo grove

At the other end of Sengan-en was the viewing point for Sakurajima, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes and the symbol of Kagoshima. It spews smoke constantly but the island can actually be visited as long as it is not on high alert.

On our way back, we spotted the Senjingan, which people before worked on for 3 months to carve three characters (translating to “very large rock”), and the jumping lion lantern.

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The last place we visited was SHIMADZU SATSUMA KIRIKO GLASSWORK. We were a bit shy to go inside the shop because the items were expensive but the staff did not let us leave even if we were just looking around. There is also a factory nearby where you can watch the master craftsmen do Satsuma Kiriko crystal glass.

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Since the bus going back to the station was still about 30 minutes away, we decided to go inside the uniquely designed Starbucks.

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We wanted to eat kurobuta tonkatsu for lunch and found a good place near the central train station –KURO KATSU TEI. We ordered and shared the Kurokatsutei set lunch (fillet and loin; ¥1,090) and special loin cutlet set meal (¥1,690).

The kurobuta tonkatsu was juicy and flavorful, and the best part was it did not feel too oily or greasy. I would not mind eating it again! Hehe.

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Inside Kagoshima-chuo station, we found an area with different food stalls inside. I was lucky to spot Agetateya which specializes in satsumaage (fried fish cake). I bought 3 pieces for ¥520, picking random flavors and turned out to be good ones – prawn, mushroom, cheese.