Hello everyone,
Since I last posted I have been slowly making my way up Kyūshū. To save money I've done a little 'couch surfing', where residents of towns and cities offer up their beds/couches/floors/bathtubs to backpackers. As a consequence I have met some great people and have already organised places to stay in South Korea. My sunburn has also developed into increasingly peeling skin; a few days ago I could yank off huge sheets like Clingfilm.
So, some of the highlights of the last eleven days. I think the sand bath in Ibusuki was one of the most unique experiences; you get buried up to the neck on a black sand beach that is naturally hot due to thermal activity below. It's pleasant enough initially but, as an incorrigible fidget, I started to feel quite claustrophobic after about ten minutes, and had to emerge after fifteen. Still, I outlasted several of the locals. The active volcanic island of Sakurajima was also an interesting experience and had a beautiful onsen overlooking the sea.
Kumamoto castle, though a concrete reconstruction, was very nice. In Shimabara I finally managed to try fugu (pufferfish) in the forms of sashimi and tempura and also took a morning hike to Mt. Fuken (1359m) near Unzen. In Nagasaki I stayed in a "guesthouth" (catering to backpackers with speech impediments) and visited some of the many atomic bomb parks, museums and statues. The main museum was similar to Hiroshima but with more personal stories and shocking exhibits, such as a rock with the bones of a human hand fused to it. It also had a gift shop.
On Monday I arrived in Beppu and immediately got into a fracas with an obnoxious English woman. She was in her fifties with broad shoulders and granite features; it was only when she bellowed at the staff that she revealed her softer side – a flap of excess skin that swung hypnotically from her neck. She pushed in front of me in the queue, snatched my Lonely Planet to angrily gesticulate at the non-English speaking staff (though she never attempted any Japanese) and condemned me for enquiring about the local delicacy of wild-boar. I gave her some polite advice along the lines of "you won't get anything done by shouting" then she offered me some advice of her own...though I don’t think I’m that flexible.
In Beppu I stayed alternately with two teachers; Matt and Tyler. They showed me some onsen hotspots (where we bathed with the mafia), took me to some decent eateries and even inducted me into their aikido lesson – I was repeatedly made to surrender by the pint-sized fifty-year-old instructor. Beppu is most famous for its "hells", which are open (very) hot springs that gush from the ground all across town. The most impressive was the red-coloured "Blood Hells", though it looked more like a pool of watery tomato soup.
I spent yesterday with macaques on Mt. Takasaki, and tonight I catch a ferry from Shimonoseki to Busan in South Korea. So, after precisely six weeks, it's goodbye to Japan. In some ways I'm sad and in others I'm not. On my limited journey through the country I have seen some incredibly diverse sights (skyscrapers and temples, mountains and coral reef) but I definitely feel there is more to explore – I'm particularly keen to see the northern island of Hokkaidō, full of hiking trails and ski-resorts. However I am glad to be moving on to a new adventure and now seems like the ideal time with Christmas mania taking hold of Japan. It is a wholly commercial venture here with the traditional Xmas dinner usually eaten at KFC. Mind you, at least the festive songs give some respite from endless Disney tunes (did I ever mention that?), even if they are all played on the glockenspiel. The other thing I won't miss, on the whole, is the general public. That may sound harsh, and I have met some incredibly kind, friendly and hospitable Japanese people on my travels, but as a whole I haven't felt particularly welcomed in this country. There seems to be a general wariness around foreigners – especially outside of the big cities – and I have spent many subway journeys in otherwise packed carriages with the seats either side of me unoccupied. There are also sideways glances and communal murmurs whenever you enter a public place and, unlike the staring of surprised and interested Nepalis, it doesn't always feel particularly friendly. On top of this borderline xenophobia, the lifestyle and attitude of Japan often baffles me. It seems entirely anti-family, with people working ludicrous hours and then heading out on the town with their colleagues. They return home – if at all – in the wee hours, get up at six and start the routine all over again. They get so little sleep that it isn't unusual to be the only person awake on a busy afternoon train. Even the great benefits of Japan, such as the organisation, inevitably come at a price. While transport is always obsessively on time, this means that fumbling over your coins as you pay to exit the bus makes the driver very irate, and God forbid if you take too long carrying your backpack onto a tram. If I had the choice, I'd rather have the occasional delay but maintain a sense of humour.
I hope this doesn't seem an overly downbeat conclusion to Japan, as I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I've seen some amazing things and enjoyed some amazing experiences, but I think the main difficulty for me has been the strange mixture of the known and unknown. On the surface Japan is very Westernised, which means you get comfortable and the cultural quirks can take you off guard, rather than somewhere utterly foreign like Nepal where you are constantly prepared for the unexpected. When I return for another trip I shall be much better equipped for this fascinating country.
As for the future, I have three-and-a-half weeks in Korea then I'm flying to Egypt to meet my parents for Christmas. After that I am planning to travel in Israel, catch a ferry to Europe and slowly make my way home through as many countries as I can afford. But then again I might not...my travel plans have a way of changing from day to day. Who mentioned China?
Dōmo arigatō gozaimas,
Joe x
PS. I shall leave you with one more interesting tidbit from Japan. "I have diarrhoea" translates as "Geri o shite imas". Don't ask me how I know that.
