japan (kyushu) itinerary

i'm back from a fun 4-night, 5-day trip in japan with friends, Eric and JeongHoon.
Kyushu Island

we stayed on Kyushu island - the most southwesterly of Japan's four main islands (see brown area in picture above) - and hopped around to 3 different prefectures: Fukuoka/Hakata (known for it's international port; it is the largest city in Kyushu by population, over 1.3 million), Kumamoto (known for it's old Japanese Castle) and Yufuin (known for it's ryokan-Japanese inn like a bed and breakfast with tatami-bamboo mats and onsen-hot spring baths)

Fukuoka/Hakata

Kumamoto

Yufuin

this is roughly what we did:

18th - Friday

• arrived at the Hakata International Ferry Port and loaded up on maps and bus info and destination info
• bused it to Tenjin and had lunch at a famous noodle placed called IchiRan where you sit in your own booth separated by a partition from your fellow diners and where the food is served to you by someone you can't see, from the small curtained window in front of you; the idea, and eric said this famous restaurant has trademarked the idea, is that you concentrate on your food and not on conversation; the food was delicious
• walked to Canal City shopping mall and window shopped ~ only 5 minutes in every store on the first floor
  
• walked to Khaosan Fukuoka Hostel and checked in, checked emails, called DooJin, took a nap, locked up bags



• walked with Eric and JeongHoon through the Red Light District (not very fun for me ~ but it was funny when one scout called after the guys with an energetic and welcoming invitation and then when he saw that i was part of the crew, he put the breaks on his invitation with a sad and dumbfounded, "OHHhhhhhh!")
• ate at one of the night time food stalls along the Naka River
• back to hostel for sleep
  

19th - Saturday

• in the morning we checked out of the hostel and took a 2-hour bus ride from Hakata Station to Kumamoto with our previously purchased Sun-Q pass (3-days of local or highway bus transportation in Northern Kyushu for 6,000 Yen)
  
• we went to the awesome Kumamoto Castle and the Uto Turret and walked into rooms in which samurai once slept
• i went exploring on my own to the Kumamoto Prefecture Museum of Art, Kenmotsu-Dai Botanical Garden and then into Kumamoto's town shopping center
• joined the guys again at the bus station for the 4-hour bus ride to Yufuin
• checked in at the Yufuin Country Road Hostel (it's a ryokan) just in time for dinner



Photo source.


• after dinner i enjoyed my first onsen experience and met a Korean girl, HaeJeong, who showed me the ropes and later she came to our room and we all hung out and chatted (they mostly chatted in korean and i mostly fell asleep)
  

20th - Sunday

• the morning was spent with more quiet time relaxing in the onsen hot spring bath ~ since the HaeJeong left early on her way to explore more of Japan i was now the only female guest at the ryokan and had the female onsen to myself
• the ryokan owner gave me a sweet note HaeJeong left with her for me, titled "Dear Susan and II mens" ~ the guys translated the rest of the note which was in korean
  
• in the afternoon i went into the quaint Yufuin mountain town with the guys and walked around looking at the shops
• we went to Yufuin's #2 rotenburo-outdoor hot spring bath (gender separated), called Musouen, and i got to experience for the first time, bathing in soothing warm water with the cold rain falling down on my head and shoulders while looking up into the open skies; i actually sat here:



Photo source.


• went exploring on my own through town, had a Milk Tea Latte at Cafe Duo and wrote in my travel journal, then walked down the boutique lined Takemoto Street, and then enjoyed the views of Lake Kinrinko
• back to the ryokan for another delicious dinner with the guys; we were the only 3 guests this day
  
• after dinner i got in some quality bonding time with the guys as we had a nice talk in the sitting room about life, the pursuit of happiness, DooJin, supernovas, comic books, documentaries, 9-5 jobs and how they suck, our next day's plan, food, traveling and so on
  

21st - Monday

• in the morning we had a yummy breakfast on our last day at Country Road Hostel
• after breakfast i went back into the onsen and soaked in the warmth
• we checked out ~ Ryo and Tomomi, the ryokan's super cute husband-and-wife owners (not older than i), sang (strings included thanks to Ryo's lovely guitar playing) for us (as they do for every parting guest) John Denver's Take Me Home Country Roads forever imbuing that song with personal meaning ~ hearing it again brings to mind a great feeling and sweet memories of my time well spent in yufuin, japan


Almost heaven, West Virginia,
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.
Life is old there, older than the trees,
Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze.
Country Roads, take me home,
To the place I belong:
West Virginia, mountain momma,
Take me home, country roads.

• backpacks in tow, we set off again into town for one last look around; the guys went to another rotenburo and i found another cafe for me, my pencil, travel log and endless thoughts about this and that
  
• joined the guys again for a 2 hour bus ride back to Fukuoka
• we had lunch at the cheap Sushi Onbi (108 Yen per plate, all plates are the same price) ~ where, according to the _Korean_ sign at the door, no pictures or loud talking were allowed which eric found offensive ~ he took several pictures
  
• we checked into Khaosan Fukuoka Hostel, the same place we stayed Friday night
• on my own again, i took the Fukuoka Airport/Kuko Subway line to meet Ariel, a CouchSurfer, for an inspiring chat over delicious dinner at an Indian restaurant where, coincidentally several other English Teachers came for dinner (some came separately and some came with a group) and we had a 2-way, 5-way, and 10-way conversations going on in all different directions; i made a new friend in Ariel and exchanged emails with another girl, Amanda, who is coming to Seoul later in the month; but i was a total loser and went home around 8pm because of a thing called Sleepiness Syndrome from which i was suffering; the bunk bed in the mixed dormitory room at the hostel called out for me and i responded
• a few minutes into my early sleep i meet the dynamic and talkative Rosie from Leicester, England with whom we were sharing the room; she bought a guitar that day at Canal City mall for 4,000 Yen and said to Eric, "if you fancy it, have a go" and this British English stumped Eric; she was traveling around japan taking a break from her life with a masters degree in food processing and one year of professional work in the food industry; she had never met koreans before and it tickled me that she said so to Eric and JeongHoon
• after drawing up rough plans for our next day's departure, i zonked out
  

22nd - Tuesday

• in the morning we checked out of the Khaosan Fukuoka Hostel
  
• had breakfast together and then again we parted ways to do shopping (it's always best for women and men not to shop together ~ always)
• met up at the Hakata International Ferry Port, where it all began just 5 days prior, for the trek back home