January 7th was a long day for me. I got up at 5:30 a.m. At 7 I walked to the bus stop with my family and waved goodby to the grandgirls on their way to school. Then I rode in my daughter-in-law's car to the bus center in Sasebo. From 8 until 10 a.m. I rode in a high way bus to the airport in Fukuoka.  I got my three airline tickets and checked my bag.  At nearly 1 p.m. I flew from Fukuoka to Tokyo. I took a free shuttle bus to the second terminal. I waited four hours for my flight from Tokyo to Chicago which took almost 15 hours. I arrived in Chicago at 2 p.m., still on January 7th, and waited another four hours for my flight to Minneapolis. I arrived in Minneapolis at 10 p.m. and was at Offspring #2's house by 11. At 11:55 p.m. on January 7th I laid down flat to go to sleep. L o n g e s t    d a y    e v e r .

What I Don't Hear

While in Japan I saw many dogs. I saw small dogs, toy sized dogs, and medium dogs. What I didn't hear is barking. Even when two dogs with separate owners are waiting together at a cross walk I heard no barking. The Japanese people train their dogs not to bark. We spent quite a bit of time on the road in the last three weeks. Not once did I hear a car horn blare. I heard motorcycles and scooters go by but I never heard the loud pipes that annoy me. I heard peddlers crying out advertising their business. In the US I hear that at baseball games (Peanuts! Get your peanuts here!) but seldom elsewhere. Traffic signals in Japan have sounds for the blind which I don't hear in the United States. The frequency of bird songs seems about the same.

 

 

Kujukushima Cruising

Today four of us took the 11 o'clock cruise around the 99 islands. Actually there are 218 islands but 99 is the Japanese way of saying a big number of islands. Our ship was called the Pearl Queen. A womanly figure adorns the bow wearing long hair and holding what appears to be a bowling ball but might represent a very large pearl.

The cruise is about an hour long. The boat holds 200 people. Some of the islands had fishing nets strewn about. One island harvests pearls from oysters. All these islands are part of a national park. Two islands have people living on them.

Sometimes the boat had to slow down to avoid the rocks under the water. Wind and weather have worn down the vegetation and topsoil.

The weather was fine but we got cold standing outside in the wind.

We had a nice day for a cruise.

 

 

 

New Years Festival

Today we drove to an Inari shrine. This one is for prosperity, family fortune, a good catch and traffic safety. Three million people visit every year. The drive from Sasebo to Kashima took an hour. When we got there we realized there was a New Years Festival going on. Food stands sold hot potatoes, tea, cotton candy, crepes, octopus, chicken, meat balls, noodles, candied fruit, toys, swords, sandals and tea pots. The place was crowded. Ahead is a temple up on the hill. To reach the temple was about 150 steps. We went beyond that to other temples.

This is the Yutoku Inari Shrine. People observed religious traditions here including ringing of bells and washing hands and offering coins.

This is the view from the temple down the hill.

 

Talking Machines

In Japan machines talk. When the car starts up a voice makes announcements. I don't know what the announcement said. On Christmas Day the car said Merry Christmas. Watching shows on the screen is possible in a Toyota van that can hold 7 people. Riding back from the volcano I watched part of a magic show and a reality show. The steering wheel is on the right and that is very hard for me to get used to. I am not allowed to drive here as I do not have an international driver's license but several times I mistakenly got into the driver's seat. Getting out of the passenger seat I reach for the wheel to boost myself up and it's not there. People in Japan keep their cars very clean. The streets do not have names. Highways have numbers but the streets are nameless. To find an address the occupant will give you the city, the neighborhood and the house number within that neighborhood. Or they might send you a Google pin to find their house. Loudspeakers in neighborhoods give announcements but I don't know what they said. Music plays on the loudspeaker at noon and again at 5 p.m. The houses do not have central heat nor central air conditioning. Each occupied room has a heater/air conditioner mounted on the wall near the ceiling. For example, if I want to go to bed, I turn on my heater and within five minutes the room is cozy if I keep my door shut. When I leave my bedroom for the day I turn the heater off. The heater in the dining room/living room/kitchen speaks when it is turned on in the morning. Lately we have had some cold weather. Typical temperatures for this time of year are in the 40's and 50's. When the temperatures get around freezing the bathroom heater starts to talk advising us that the water in the pipes is cold and running the tub is advisable. Another unique thing about Japan that I did not notice before (I was here 5 years ago) is that everybody (yes, everybody) pulls into parking spaces back end first and ready to make a quick get-away. There are few public trash cans and recycling cans. We are expected to take our trash home and dispose of it there. All recycling must be rinsed out and clean of food. The parks are nice. Lots of Japanese kids seem to practice jumping rope.

This statue is at Nimitz park which is in between the Navy base and downtown Sasebo. Here is plenty of playground equipment for the kids.

This park is within walking distance and on the way to the grocery store. This park has playground equipment and exercise equipment for the adults.

Similarities and Differences

 Japan differs from the United States in many ways. Being here and unable to read the Japanese language is difficult. At the volcano museum only one tenth of the displays were translated into English. I felt illiterate. I feel the same way at grocery stores. I have google translate on my phone but if there are no bars inside the grocery store, I cannot translate. Again I feel illiterate. Is this soy sauce or meat sauce? I have no idea. There are signs on the side of the highways warning us to watch for wildlife. North of here the signs warned us about deer which is the same in the United States. Between here and Fukuoka the signs warned about wild boar and raccoon dogs. All of the major sidewalks have a strip of yellow and white plastic down the middle with four ridges inside. The airport and some museums have the same strips. I first noticed them at the airport because the strips make it difficult for me to pull my wheelie suitcase. Although it took me a long time to figure this out, this yellow and white strip is for blind people who use a cane. That makes much sense but I have yet to see one blind person using a cane since I have been here. I am glad this country is accommodating blind people but I think more curb cutouts would be more useful.

 

Aso

On our way to the Aso volcano we stopped first at the Shinto shrine in Aso City. This is one of Japan's oldest and most significant shrines. People come here to revere the volcano and to pray the volcano stays dormant.

On our way up the hill to the volcano we saw horses and cows on the grasslands. The white cloud you see on the right side of the picture is actually gasses erupting from the volcano.

A Shetland pony was part of the herd.

The drive up to the caldera was long and very slow. Many other people were here to visit. We had one long wait to talk to a ranger at a booth asking if we had heart conditions, lung conditions or asthma which would keep up from continuing our journey.

 

Huis Ten Bosch

Today we went to a theme park on the other side of Sasebo called Huis Ten Bosch. This is a recreation of a village near the Hague that was one of the three houses for the Dutch royal family. Each museum, house, building and restaurant is built a few inches shorter than the original ones in the Netherlands so as not to offend the Dutch.

After touring the teddy bear museum we took a ride on a canal boat to the other side of the park. This is a huge theme park that includes one hotel inside the park and many others on the periphery of the park.

We went on the three story carousel. The grand girls wanted the top floor. I tried to get on one of the carousel horse but my left leg would  not cooperate. So I rode on a kiddy table that rotated. A 4 year old Japanese girl was already on it but she said I could join her. The dang kid kept the table spinning the entire time. To avoid dizziness I just looked down at the seat. 

We saw 4 or 5 shows during our 8 hour stay. The theme park Christmas tree can be seen in the background. This group of singers sang holiday songs but also the Flintstone theme song (We'll have a good time, a dabba do time, we'll have a Merry Christmas time."

After touring the glass museum and the flower museum we ate dinner at an Italian restaurant called Pinocchio's.

After dinner we came outside just in time to hear the Christmas concert and see the lighting of the Christmas tree. Our timing was lucky today. This theme park was much better than I expected. Huis Ten Bosch does  not have all the rides that Disneyland has but it has more art and culture and class.

 

Nagasaki

Just down from Peace Park is a sculpture garden. Various countries (20 plus) donated statues to Nagasaki to commemorate the bombing. I noticed quite a few of the statues featured women holding children.

This is the actual location where the bomb landed.

This is the Oura Catholic Cathedral which is the oldest Catholic church in Japan. The cathedral is dedicated to the 26 Catholics who were executed for being Catholic.

This fish pond with lanterns above it is the entrance to Glover Gardens. Despite it being the first day of winter there were a few flowers blooming; mostly pansies.

My grandgirls really enjoyed feeding the koi.

We stopped by the museum of performing arts. A holiday concert was going on. We also saw dragon parade costumes on display.

After a nice dinner at a cafe by the wharf, we drove to the Nagasaki Ropeway. This cable car took us to the top of Mount Inasa for a terrific view of the city all lit up at night. We got there around 7 p.m. Special lights in the city come on between 8 and 10 p.m. so we missed that but it was still a great view. The ride takes five minutes.

 

Peace Park

 Today we drove 90 minutes north to the town of Nagasaki. We stopped to visit Peace Park. The statue has the right arm extended upwards to where the bomb came from. The left arm is extended toward peace over the land. About 40 years ago I visited Hawaii. When we toured the Pearl Harbor Memorial I was surrounded by Japanese tourists. I felt awkward. Today I was visiting the epicenter of the atom bomb in Nagasaki and again I felt awkward.

 

 

Good Ideas

In Japan, if you are a new driver or a new driver in this country, you apply these blue/green and yellow heart shaped stickers to the front and back of your car. This way other drivers know you are inexperienced and will give you more lee-way. I think that is a great idea. I think it could reduce road rage.

Some toilets in Japan have a sink above them. The water that will flow into the toilet tank passes through the sink first. After you flush the toilet you lean over the toilet to wash your hands in cold water.  This calls for odd hand washing posture. The water is very cold. The sink is tiny and you have to keep your hands close together. Sometimes water splashes on the counter but I still think this is a good water conservation idea.

 

Hirado Castle

Today we took a 40 minute ride north to Hirado.

This is a temple outside of Hirado Castle. This area was the first in Japan to encounter Christian missionaries.

Another temple outside of the castle.

I liked this wall of umbrellas.

Here is the actual castle. We chose to stay outside but you can walk up the stairs to the balcony on the 3rd floor.

After exploring outside of the castle we continued up the hill.

This is the memorial to the first English person to come to Japan. His name was William Adams.

Another view of the castle.

 

Birds In Sasebo

This morning I walked the grand girls to the bus stop. We went for another walk through the rice fields. We saw black kites circling over head. I saw a dozen black kites. We saw four wagtails flying. It could have been a Japanese wagtail but this country has 4 species of wagtails so I am not sure. We saw several Great Egrets (all in white) and coots in a water filled ditch between the fields. We saw a dozen ring billed ducks and some mallards. Then we walked to a grocery store. Being at the grocery store and unable to read the ingredients was overwhelming. Now I have downloaded Google Translate onto my phone which will make things easier. Later we picked Granddaughter #2 up from school. We hung out at the school playground for an hour until Granddaughter #1 was released from her after school activity. Then we watched for another hour as the girls could blow off steam. Man, oh man, where do these kids get all their energy? I am exhausted just watching them running and chasing. Once we got home they started making gingerbread houses and I started to make dinner. Even when I used my Google translate I couldn't figure out how to turn on the stove. We had a great dinner and a fun time using scissors to make snowflakes. I look forward to what ever adventures tomorrow will bring.

Everything Worked Out

 

This is a picture of a booth designed for people who get sensory overload at the Fukayoka airport.

Yesterday I was bummed that I missed the connecting flight from Tokyo to Fukayoka. Today I was glad I missed that flight. Missing that flight was inevitable but since it was United Airlines flight I will get reimbursed for my hotel. Since I had only 60 minutes to gather my luggage, go through customs twice, and take a bus to Terminal 1 the task was impossible. Instead I got to rest for free at a luxurious hotel and take a nice hot shower. The next morning I headed to the airport at 5:30 for my 8:30 flight. I went to terminal 3. I was told to go to the fourth floor. From the fourth floor I was told to go to the first floor.  Then I was told to take the free shuttle to terminal 2. I was told to go to the third floor. From the 3rd floor I was to take the free shuttle to terminal 1. I couldn't find the shuttle location so a very nice police officer walked me there. From terminal 1 things got easier. I got a ticket and checked my bag. I found my gate immediately. I had an hour to relax before the 2 hour flight to Fukayoka.  I got on the plane and two hours later we landed. From there I took a free shuttle to the international terminal. I walked through the terminal and bought an egg sandwich at the 7-11. I found the door from which the bus from Fukayaka to Sasebo was located.  Also I learned that you do not pronounce Sasebo as "says boe" but as "sassy boe." That would have been good to know before I left. I had a very nice 90 minute bus ride to Sasebo. We passed through cities, steep hills, river valleys and rice fields. In one town I saw two helmeted men wearing high visibility jackets up in a tree shaking off all the yellow leaves. Why the hurry to get all the leaves off the tree? I don't know but as the bus traveled forwarded I saw that another dozen trees had been stripped of all their leaves. We arrived at the Sasebo bus terminal at which I found my daughter-in-law and two grand girls. Finally, I have arrived and everything worked out in the end.

Travel Is Stressful

On Saturday afternoon I left my place in Winona and drove to Minneapolis to stay at Offspring #2's house. On Sunday morning we left for the MSP airport at 6:30. I arrived in Chicago at 10:30. My flight to Tokyo was delayed for 45 minutes because some transferring fliers in Chicago were late. I arrived in Tokyo 20 minutes before my flight to Fukuoka was due to leave. I had to go through customs so I missed my flight. Since this was all United Airlines fault, I was told to get a hotel at the Villa hotel (a short indoor 5 minute walk away). United Airlines would reimburse me up to $200 for the hotel and $50 for a meal. I am so stuffed from all the food I had on the flight to Tokyo I couldn't eat another meal. Tomorrow my next flight leaves at 8:30 a.m. This hotel is very nice and it sure felt good to take off my compression socks and take a shower. Total for today of time spent in the air was 18 hours. I keep telling myself it's not the destination, it's the journey.

In The Market For A New Backpack

I bought this Swiss Gear back pack in 2006. This bag has been to Kenya, Seattle, San Diego, Connecticut, Sicily, Italy, Greece, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Ecuador, Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Poland, Texas, Tasmania, New Mexico, North Dakota, Finland, Florida, Alabama, Amsterdam, Australia and Alaska. I didn't take it to Isle Royale. I bought a special backpack for Isle Royale and a strap on that new backpack broke on the second day of the trip.

But my back pack is wearing out.  You can see the fabric is starting to tear. That round hole at the top was the new thing in 2006 because you could thread your ear buds and listen to music playing inside your bag. I never did thread my ear buds through there but I could have.

I kept my cell phone in that tiny pocket on the strap! That was a cellphone where you had to press the 7 key four times to get the letter s.

The strap on the left partially melted when I rode my motorcycle to work. I must have hit the muffler with it before I got saddle bags. Sometimes that strap would whip my thighs in the wind and boy, howdy, that hurt. I am in the market for a  new backpack now. I hope the new one lasts 15 years like this one did. So long Swiss Gear back pack. Thanks for carrying all my stuff. You were real comfy.