May 12, 2015

Japan (Part 4)

Tuesday 12/05/2015 to Thursday 28/05/2015.
Day 22 - Tuesday 12/05/215 - Tokushima - NAOSHIMA - Okayama journey.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naoshima,_Kagawa
After waiting 40 minutes, take the 9:22 train from Tokushima to Kagawa,
about 1 hour ride, 1460¥ ~11€.


Welcome to Kagawa, where I'll wait approximately two hours for the ferry to Naoshima,
because I traveled unprepaired this time (should be a 'lesson').
2 hours waiting in front of this closed office,
fortunately with free WiFi provided.
12:30, the 12:40 ferry arrives.
Nice, well maintained and clean, as usual.
Many little islands pop up during the 20 minutes sailing.

 Naoshima.
A 15km2 island concentrating some world famous contemporary art museums.

 http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Naoshima
A very practical map, showing ferry and bus timetables, opening hours,
roads and paths, distances expressed in km units and in time.
The pumpkin, symbol of the island.

 Naoshima - the 'Art House Project'.
http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/arthouse/index.html
'Minami-dera' installation building (artwork from James Turrell),
where people enter a room in complete darkness, and wait 15 minute
for... something to appear slowly (ask me later!).
'Haisha' (artwork from Otake Shinrö), containing a Statue of Liberty
(no pictures allowed).
'Sea of Time' (Tatsuo Miyajima) showing various numerical color LEDs
and numerical LCD displays.  This large one has a window size.
Submerged seven segment LED displays, like water lilies.
All are counting and flashing at different speeds.

 Naoshima - the 'Chichü Art Museum' (to translate as 'In the Earth Museum').
The collection is diminutive, just five paintings from Monet's Water Lilies plus four installations.

http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/chichu/portfolio.html
The beautiful underground concrete-glass building.
The room with Monet's water lilies.
One must wear slippers to enter this precious room.
Unfortunately no pictures allowed (this picture was stolen from the internet).
Local copy of Monet's Giverny garden pond with water lilies.










The hotel for tonight, with a Tetris car matching game in front, reached at 20:00.

|---| Hotel Sunshine Okayama, 4500¥/night, ~33€.


 Day 23 - Wednesday 13/05/2015 - Okayama to Osaka journey. 

 Okayama Castle.







Korakuen Garden, Okayama.
Said to be among the three most beautiful gardens of Japan. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koraku-en











Wedding picture photo shootings in the park.







Okayama to Osaka journey.
15:16-16:01, 45 minutes for 180km by Shinkansen, the Japanese 'Bullet Train', 5500¥.
Time is money.




A 'Belgian Waffle' shop at the train station.

|---| New Japan Capsule Hotel Cabana, Osaka, 30€.


 Day 24 - Thursday 14/05/2015 - KOYASAN.
Koyasan 1200th anniversary ticket, only 1200¥ for the trains (2x2h), the cable car, and free bus transportation between the sites.


The mountain train.
Walking from  the mountain train station to the ropeway.
High station of the ropeway.

 Okunoin.
Graveyard with over 200 000 tombstones and milions of hair of deceased persons.
The two kilometer path leads to Kobo Daishi's mausoleum,
where is believed to be in eternal meditation.


'Sugatami-no-ido' (reflection well).
If a person looks into this well and does not see his or her reflection,
that person will die within three years.  I had a look...
Legend is that if you place your ear on the sandstone pilar and listen,
you hear the cries in hell.  Imagine what I heard.
'Mizumuke Jizo'.  Statues of various Buddhist deities are arranged here.
The faithfull pour water on the statues in prayer.

No this is not a public telephone booth (see next picture).
Those that manage through the little opening to lift the heavy granite stone of the booth,
and to place it on the shrank are virtuous people (the stone becomes heavy to a sinner).
'Torodo' hall, the main place for worshipping.
On the ceiling there are over 10 000 electrical lanterns,
people pay to switch them on for a while.
'Gobyo', Kobo Daishi's meditation hall (or mausoleum) is behind the Torodo hall,
 pictures are not allowed.

Also Nissan is present in the graveyard.


In the return train... new school uniforms?

 |---| New Japan Capsule Hotel Cabana, Osaka, 30€.
Day 25 - Friday 15/05/2015 - KYOTO Aoi Matsuri festival.


'Hitsuji', 2015 is the year of the sheep in Japan.


Donations for the monks.


|---| Ryokan Kyoka, Kyoto, 9800¥/2p/night (BAD !).
Day 26 - Saturday 16/05/2015 - KYOTO.
A "Bolleke" of Antwerp's famous De Koninck beer, served in Kyoto !!!
Selfie-stick picture?



|---| Ryokan , Kyo, O-Yado-Sato, 9200¥/night/2p.
Day 27 - Sunday 17/05/2015 - Kyoto to FUKUOKA journey.
By mistake, nearly put in jail in the airport.
Osaka Kansai airport, Terminal T2, for the Low Cost carriers like 'Peach'.


 Embarking the Airbus A220 plane.

Kumamoto Castle.



Shopping streets.
Green tea shop.
Found a Kumamon backpack.  A little bit too big for me.
Kumamon is Fukuoka's  mascot.

 |---| Home stay at Yuu's kind and lovely parents near to Fukuoka..
Day 28 - Monday 18/05/2015 - FUKUOKA.

 Noodle Training.
1000¥/student, including the meal.



The teacher inspecting with success the dough,
combined mixing and kneading effort of the four students.
 My turn to work on the dough.
Cutting the noodle dough into slices.
The end result of the teamwork during the noodle training:
an excellent noodle soup, but no diploma.
Onsen (natural hor spring bath).
300¥/person.

One of the many hot springs found in the in Aso volcano caldeira,
Aso-san is the biggest active volcano on earth, with a 128km crater rim circumference.
Aso's caldeira, blowing poppies.

Arriving through the car ferry with bad weather at Shimbara.

 |---| Hotel and Spa Hanamizuki, Shimabara, 9500/night/2p.
Day 29 - Tuesday 19/05/2015 - UNZEN.

 Hiking the Unzen mountains and the Fugen Dake peak. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Unzen

.
The volcano was active from 1990 to 1995, killing 43 people.
A 1792 collaps generated a tsunami killing 15000 people.




360 degrees panorama from the top of Fugen Dake mountain (1359m),
in the center Heisei-shinzan (see below).
Heisei-shinzan, Japan's youngest mountain, it emerged in 1989.





Dinner.
Hard to understand menu.
It was even not easy to know if this place was realy a restaurant !


Very kind welcome in Shimbara !

 |---| Hotel and Spa Hanamizuki, Shimabara, 9500/night/2p.


Day 30 - Wednesday 20/05/2015 - SHIMABARA.
Carps, Shimabara is said to have one the cleanest natural water of Japan. 


An 'Open Space' petrol station.
Shimabara Castle.
 
A Time Capsule, to be opened in 2040.

Unzen Jogoku (Unzen Hell), steam and boiling sulfurous water.

33 Christians were martyred here, boiled alive.
A mythological Tanuki.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_raccoon_dog

View from the hotel room.
People protesting for more road traffic safety.

 |---| Hotel and Spa Hanamizuki, Shimabara, 9500/night/2p. 


Day 31 - Thursday 21/5 Shimbara to NAGASAKI journey.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimabara_Railway_Line





Children must donate a 100¥ coin, adults a 1000¥ banknote ?










Origami peace cranes.
More origamis.
Drawing of Dejima, the Dutch trading settlement (1641-1853).
During 200 years the only entry point for Western goods, 2 ships per year.




'Fukusai-ji' (Kannon Universal temple), turtle shaped, with Kannon deity on top,
housing a 25m Foucault pendulum demonstrating the earth rotation.
Catholic Church.
Catholic Church.

 Peace monument.
The Peace Monument.


Testimony of a survivor.
About 150 000 people killed by one single bomb.
Nagasaki often has a San Francisco look.  Also in terms of street slopes.
Nagasaki harbour.

 |---| JR Kyushu Hotel, Nagasaki, 143€/night/2p.
Day 32 - Friday 22/5 NAGASAKI.
Tram lines 1 and 3 stops near the Nagasaki train station.

Atomic bomb Museum.




Real size replica of the Nagasaki bomb "Fat Man".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man
Clock with the display froozen at 11:02.
Melted coins...

Melted rosaries...
I will not put more pictures.

More craziness prpared for a later use.


Children of the world praying for PEACE.


Shelves with books containing the names of all those died that day
in nagasaki.on the 9th of August 1945.


Made me thinking to a giant Guernica.

 Back to today's Nagasaki.
Saraku-Chan, Nagasaki's mascot.
Alarm in operation, since 1636.

 Train journey to Fukoshima.
Three trains because of an accident. and some confusion.
The first train of the adventure.

 |---| Yaoji Hakata Hotel, Fukuoka, 109€/night/2p.
Day 33 - Saturday 23/5 FUKUOKA.

Dazaifu.
How to reach Dazaifu from Kumamoto Hakata?
1/ Take te Kuo line subway from Hakata subway station to Tenjin subways station (5 minutes).
2/ Walk to Nishitetsu Tenjin railway station (5 minutes).
3/ Take the Omuta Line train to Nishitetsu Futsukaichi (14 minutes by Limited Express).
4/ Change for the Dazaifu Line train to Dazaifu (5 minutes).
5/ Walk to the shrine.
Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine park.
Dazaifu, Tenmangu Shrine, the ablution bath. Cut out of one single granite rock stone.
Dazaifu, temple ceremony.

Dazaifu, prayers...

... Lotto prayers.

Wedding Ceremony.

Female monks cleaning the temple windows.


Iris flower plants.


The Kyushu National Museum.
Dazaifu, Komyozenji Temple.  The Zen garden.

 Fukuoka, Hakata.
Nishitetsu Tenjin train station.
Fukuoka is famous for its 'Yatai' (street restaurants), serving 'Yakitoris' (noodle soup).

 |---| Yaoji Hakata Hotel, Fukuoka, 109€/night/2p.

Day 34 - Sunday 24/05/2015 - Bullet and Steam train journey to TSUWANO.
Shinkansen from Fukuoka to Shin-Yamaguchi 9:43-10:20, 0h37, 155km.
Steam Train Shin-Yamaguchi to Tsuwano, 10:48-12:58, 2h10, 61km.
Shinkansen bullet trains in Fukuoka.
Shinkansen drivers.
Changing from the Shinkansen bullet train to a steam train (!)
at the Shin-Yamaguchi station.
Doing like all  Japanese...
Steam train drivers.


A lot of burnt coal smoke in the car.

Tsuwano.

'Cognac' juice.

Christian Church in Tsuwano.


Barefoot church service.
Souvenirs from the church museum shop.
Persecution.

Taikodani Inari Shrine.











Dinner.



Bedroom...

A dart board in the bedroom.

 |---| Hagi Royal Intelligent Hotel, Hagi, 8800¥/night/2p including breakfast.

Day 35 - Monday 25/05/2015 - HAGI bicycle tour.
Indeed, an odd hotel (this is a corner of the hotel lobby).


Drying fish attached to a mary-go-round carrousel.






Drying Cuttlefish as well.
Lunch restaurant.


Lunch fish plate.

Feeding flying fish (they jump for at least one meter high out of the water),
in competition with hawk-like birds.


180 degrees panorama from the Kasayama Observatory,
at the top of the Mount Kasa, dormant volcano, reached by bicycle.




Evening sky.
Japanese 'Italian Pizza', not too bad !

 |---| Hagi Royal Intelligent Hotel, Hagi, 7700¥/night/2p including breakfast.
Day 36 - Tuesday 26/05/2015 - Hagi to Ise journey.



Ise - Outer Shrine.



No pictures allowed...
Millennial cedar trees.
Lobster dinner.

 |---| Hinode Ryokan, Ise, 12000¥/night/2p.
Day 37 - Wednesday 27/05/2015 - TOBA, Mikamoto Pearl Island.
Mikamoto pearl island, female pearl diver.


Cruise along the coast islands.




Cruise in excellent company.
Ise - Inner shrine.











Dinner.


Freshly made Sushi dinner with a nice Sicilian wine.

 |---| Urarka GuestHouse, Kyoto, 85€/night/2p.
Day 38 - Thursday 28/05/2015 - KYOTO. 
Last day in Japan...




All you can get for 500¥ each.
Love, safety, health, long life, victory, successful studies, passing exams.
Many students visit this place.
Buy a miraculous paper (200¥) and write down your troubles,
wait a little while the paper dissolves in water,
and (perhaps) your troubles will disappear.






Monk's car parking (hidden).
Kiyomizu-dera temple.
Sardines-topped pepper-icecream.

 Selfie-land.
Kinkaku-ji temple, the golden pavilion.
Originally a villa (1397), later converted into a Zen Budhist temple.


Ramen restaurant (dinner).
Choice and payments are made through this machine.

|---| Urarka GuestHouse, Kyoto, 85€/night/2p.


Day 39 - Friday 29/05/2015 - Osaka to home journey.

Flight Osaka Kansai to Amsterdam,10:25-15.10, 11h45, KLM flight KL868, Boeing 777-300.
Flight Amsterdam to Marseille, 20:35-22:25, 1h50, Air France flight AF1875, Airbus A319.
BYE BYE, lovely Japan !

|---|  Home, Aix-en-Provence, France  (reached Saturday morning 30/05/2015 at 0:30).



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