The awesome views at Daikanbo Peak.Learn<strong>in</strong>g to be a cowboy for a day!The handsome horses at the El Rancho Grande.Kumamoto Castle, one of themost impressive <strong>in</strong> Japan.To my surprise, our vehicle appeared to climb uphill <strong>in</strong> the neutralgear! Drivers of many vehicles around ours were also test<strong>in</strong>g outthe phenomenon. If you were to be on the opposite side, yourvehicle would apparently be roll<strong>in</strong>g backwards even though thedown slope was <strong>in</strong> front of you! Mysterious <strong>in</strong>deed.At nightfall, we arrived at Kumamoto City, a beautiful city knownfor its Kumamoto Castle. After return<strong>in</strong>g our car at the rentalshop, we took a tram to our d<strong>in</strong>ner place, which offered a fantasticview of Kumamoto Castle. Kumamoto Castle is a major landmarkof Kumamoto City, and is regarded as one of the most impressivecastles <strong>in</strong> Japan, together with the white-walled Hijemi Castleand the black-walled Matsumoto Castle. In addition, KumamotoCastle is considered a most impregnable fortress even until today.Its ma<strong>in</strong> defensive features <strong>in</strong>clude very high stone walls withwooden overhangs (orig<strong>in</strong>ally designed as protection aga<strong>in</strong>stn<strong>in</strong>jas), and a wide moat. There are many escape passagewayswith<strong>in</strong> the castle. At night, the castle is illum<strong>in</strong>ated and the viewis breath-tak<strong>in</strong>g.DAY 3. We drove our cars to Kumamoto Port to take an expressferry to Shimabara Port en route to Nagasaki. We drove <strong>in</strong>to theferry, parked and went onto the ferry deck to feed the seagulls! Itwas an exhilarat<strong>in</strong>g experience. You hold up the bread crumbs,and the nearest or fastest seagull would grab the crumbs with<strong>in</strong>the next few seconds without hurt<strong>in</strong>g your f<strong>in</strong>gers! I was hesitantof be<strong>in</strong>g bitten <strong>in</strong>itially, but after see<strong>in</strong>g my fellow traveller usehis lips to hold the crumbs up and a seagull swoop<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> for thekill with nary an <strong>in</strong>jury, my fear dissipated. The view of ShimabaraBay was fantastic. We reached the opposite shore <strong>in</strong> half an hour,and drove off the ferry.We drove up the mounta<strong>in</strong> to Nita Pass (1,080m above sealevel), where we took a ropeway to the summit of Mt. Myoken.On a clear day, one can enjoy a command<strong>in</strong>g view of Shimabara4Pen<strong>in</strong>sula and Bay. However, it was snow<strong>in</strong>g that day and thesummit was fogged. At the Nita Pass, we could see the lava domeof Heisei Sh<strong>in</strong>zan. It had been newly created <strong>in</strong> 1990 when Mt.Fugen erupted.Next stop was Unzen Hell. There were many pools of bubbl<strong>in</strong>gspr<strong>in</strong>gs dotted around the area, and the whole area was coveredwith white clay. The white clay is called ‘solfataric clay’. The clayhad been altered and decolourised by fumarolic gas, hot spr<strong>in</strong>gheat and acidic water. The energy source is assumed to be themagma reservoir under the seabed of the Tachibana Bay. Thehighest temperature of the fumarolic gas, blown out with hiss<strong>in</strong>gnoises, can be 120°C. White and light yellow s<strong>in</strong>ter deposits wereattached on the ground around the fumaroles. We bought hardboiledeggs cooked by the bubbl<strong>in</strong>g water and ate them with adash of salt. More delicious than usual!We drove on to Nagasaki. Nagasaki, capital of Nagasaki Prefectureand the fifth largest city <strong>in</strong> Kyushu, is an important port city withmore than four centuries of history. It prospered as Japan’s sole“w<strong>in</strong>dow” to Western culture dur<strong>in</strong>g its 300 years of nationalisolation. Nagasaki has thriv<strong>in</strong>g shipbuild<strong>in</strong>g and fisheries<strong>in</strong>dustries and is especially noted for its mar<strong>in</strong>e products, suchas cultured pearls, tortoiseshell and coral works. To the world,it was also known the second city <strong>in</strong> Japan, after Hiroshima, toexperience an atomic explosion dur<strong>in</strong>g the Second World War.We headed for the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and PeacePark. The Atomic Bomb Museum was built to show the world thehorror of the 1945 atomic bomb<strong>in</strong>g of Nagasaki and the need toelim<strong>in</strong>ate all nuclear weapons. The Peace Statue <strong>in</strong> the Peace Parkwas constructed <strong>in</strong> 1955 by donations from all over the world,and is highly symbolic. The right hand po<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g skyward warnsabout the threat of the atomic bomb. The left hand stretch<strong>in</strong>gout horizontally symbolizes world peace. The gently-closed eyes
epresent a prayer for the repose of the souls of all atomic bombvictims. At the Hypocenter Park, a memorial monolith marks theexact spot below the center of the atomic bomb explosion, whichoccurred at 11.02am, August 9, 1945. Look<strong>in</strong>g at the exhibits, Icould not help but felt stunned by the horrific nature of wars andwas deeply saddened by the plight of the <strong>in</strong>nocent victims.Next, we headed for Mt. Inasa to enjoy the night view of NagasakiCity, the spot proclaimed to be “One of the top three night viewsof Japan”. We took the Nagasaki Ropeway, an all-transparentgondola, to the summit of Mt. Inasa (333m above ground). Thejourney up was spectacular. The sweep<strong>in</strong>g views from Mt. InasaLookout were even better. I could see why it lived up to its name;the amaz<strong>in</strong>g glitter<strong>in</strong>g lights of Nagasaki City that is situated onundulat<strong>in</strong>g mounta<strong>in</strong> slopes. At the Lookout, you would see manytriangles lit up on the ground, and amongst the hundreds oftriangles, there was a love-shaped symbol. Accord<strong>in</strong>g to a popularsay<strong>in</strong>g, one would f<strong>in</strong>d love if one could f<strong>in</strong>d the symbol. I found it<strong>in</strong> 3 m<strong>in</strong>utes. A good sign <strong>in</strong>deed!DAY 4. After breakfast, we headed back to Fukuoka. It was go<strong>in</strong>g tobe a two-hour drive. Our first stop was Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shr<strong>in</strong>e.Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shr<strong>in</strong>e enshr<strong>in</strong>es Sugawara Michizane (845-903) as the god of academic achievement. Before the entranceexam<strong>in</strong>ation each year, young people from all parts of Japan cometo the shr<strong>in</strong>e to pray for success <strong>in</strong> the exam<strong>in</strong>ation. The approachto the shr<strong>in</strong>e is l<strong>in</strong>ed with teahouses sell<strong>in</strong>g ‘umegae-mochi,’ alocal specialty rice-cake that is believed to ward off illness. Thereare many shops sell<strong>in</strong>g food. We went to a particular shop famousfor its red bean desserts and matcha. The venerable boss was atthe shop front busy mak<strong>in</strong>g red bean cakes. His dedication toperfection was there for all to see.At the shr<strong>in</strong>e, there was a bless<strong>in</strong>g session go<strong>in</strong>g on. The devoteeswere immaculately dressed <strong>in</strong> suits or kimonos. A new-born babywas be<strong>in</strong>g blessed by the priest. Good luck charms were sold atthe stalls. For lunch, our tour guide led us to a secluded path offthe ma<strong>in</strong> thoroughfare <strong>in</strong>to a small residential neighbourhood.Suddenly, she turned <strong>in</strong>to a huge compound that looked likea residence, only to discover that it was actually a Japaneserestaurant nestled <strong>in</strong> a Japanese garden sett<strong>in</strong>g. This restaurantspecializes <strong>in</strong> serv<strong>in</strong>g many variants of tofu dishes. We sat tatamistyleand were fussed about by a kimono-clad waitress, whilstenjoy<strong>in</strong>g the Japanese garden sett<strong>in</strong>g and delicious food.We headed to Hakata Machiya Folk Museum. Formerly, Hakatawas an <strong>in</strong>dependent city. From Heian period (AD 794-1185) toAzuchi-Momoyama period (AD 1568–1600), Hakata’s merchantstraded with Ch<strong>in</strong>ese, Korean, and other overseas merchants. The lifeand culture of Hakata, ma<strong>in</strong>ly of the Meiji and Taisho eras (AD 1868–1926), are <strong>in</strong>troduced from various perspectives at this Museum.Driv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to the ferry at Kumamoto Port.The Nita Pass en route to Mt. Myoken.The formation of the Heisei Sh<strong>in</strong>zan lava dome.A replica of the bomb thatexploded over Nagasaki,nicknamed “Fat Man”.The bubbl<strong>in</strong>g watersof Unzen Hell.The Peace Statue at the NagasakiAtomic Peace Park.Pray for success <strong>in</strong> your studies at theDazaifu Tenman-gu Shr<strong>in</strong>e. A bless<strong>in</strong>g session tak<strong>in</strong>g place at Dazaifu Shr<strong>in</strong>e.The entrance of the superb tofurestaurant off Dazaifu Shr<strong>in</strong>e.5
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