Fukuoka: Sumiyoshi Shrine, Kushida Shrine, Tochoji Shrine, Miyajidake Shrine (Fukuma), Hakozaki Shrine + Hojoya Festival
Nagasaki: Teno Shrine (Single Standing Toori), Atomic Bomb Museum, Mt.Inasa + Nagasaki Ropeway, Fuchi Shrine, Suwa Shrine, Dejima Dutch Settlement, Tenjin Underground Shopping
Kumamoto: Suizenji Garden, Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kato Shrine
Travel with the North Kyushu UR Rail Pass (Cost: 8,500 yen), actual savings 11,280 yen.
On the 3rd
day in Kyushu region, I headed south from Fukuoka to Kumamoto. On the
Shinkansen, it takes only 30 minutes to get there. I haven’t really taken the
Shinkansen long distance before, but it feels just like the Taiwan High Speed
rail! It’s comfortable, safe, and very convenient. Literally translated, Kuma
means bear, and moto means origin. While there aren’t actually many bears in
Kumamoto, the city has a bear mascot called “Kumamon”. He is also the station
master at Kumamoto Station and has his own little desk!
Because I only have a
short morning, and then I needed to head back to the airport in Fukuoka, I had just
2 places to check out in Kumamoto. One was Suizenji Garden and the other is the
Kumamoto Castle. After I got to Kumamoto Station, I got off the Shinkansen and
continued onto the JR railway to Suizenji Station. It was gloomy and there were
barely any people! I suppose it is only around 9am or so in the morning. I made
my way to Suizenji Garden. As I bought my ticket and got in, it soon started
pouring rain! But the Garden is really nice in the rain. If it were a sunny day
you probably cannot see anything, a cloudy day is perfect for pictures. There’s
a large lake in the middle and in the backdrop a series of small grassy hills.
Some Japanese needle pine trees surround the lake’s shore. There were also koi
fish in the lake in bright orange red and white colors.
As you cross the stone
bridge, on the left is Izumi Shrine. The temple itself was under construction
so I just looked around for a little bit. Continuing on the path is a Fushimi
Inai shrine with many red Toori gates and two foxes on either side. My small
plastic bag (from 7-11) holding some small things broke, so I quickly finished
off looking around the park. Outside the entrance of the Garden was a small and
old traditional shopping street. I found a waterproof tote bag to replace my
broken plastic bag and also a little coin pouch with Kumamo on it as a souvenir.
Afterwards I took the
tram over to Kumamoto Castle. It is still damaged from the recent earthquake so
the grounds are closed. At the foot of the entrance is a Kumamoto Castle Fushimi
Inari Shrine! They sold a really pretty lucky charm shaped like a 4 leaf flower
so I spent most of my leftover cash on it.
I walked along the right side of the
walls counter clock wise uphill until I reached Kato Shrine. The shrine is
still opened and undamaged and there you can see a perfect view of Kumamoto
castle. The roof collapsed and is damaged, and there are some other outer wall
areas that have collapsed in a mud slide. But most of it is intact. Since I was
travelling alone, I had to ask some Japanese girls to help take a photo for me.
The photos usually come out great if you ask a girl to take a photo for you!
The rain somewhat
stopped, but I had to tread through a super muddy grass grounds until I can get
to the other side of the entrance via a parking lot. My feet and sandals were
covered in mud, and I used the rest of my water to rinse it off. I walked
30-40min in the rain, not pouring but enough to get most of my legs wet. So
there I was, poor me, dragging myself through mud and rain, cashless, no more
drinking water left… I attempted to withdraw some more cash at 7-11 but they
only allowed me to withdraw 10,000 yen at a minimum. That’s almost $100 USD!
Who withdraws that much… I’m pretty much heading to the airport straight after
this and don’t intend on shopping.
Thank god at Kumamoto
main station, outside in a little room full of ATMs, I found the green ATM cash
machine. I’m not sure which bank it is, but I’ve encountered this on in the
Tokyo subway before as well. Instead of giving you the cash from a wall, it’s a
flat panel like a table and the cash comes from underneath the machine. With
that ATM machine you can withdraw whatever amount you like, so I got 3,000 yen!
Finally I can get some water, and some lunch. I also tried Natto (Fermented
soybean) for the first time. It is stinky as hell, tastes like weird soy sauce,
but worse. I can now at least say I’ve tried it, but I wouldn’t eat it again.
Back in Fukuoka the
rain was pouring even harder. Like someone dumping buckets of water through the
sky nonstop. But my luggage was back at the hotel so I had to take a bus back,
pick up my luggage, then take the bus back to Hakata station again to get to
the airport. I still had a lot of time so I shopped around Hakata station to
dry myself off. I didn’t buy much, just some small accessories. Then I took the
train back to the airport.
It’s another really
good weekend trip! In just 3 days (more like 2x half days and 1x full day) I was
able to see a lot in 3 cities. There’s always so much to do and see in Japan
and it’s perfect for short weekend trips. I’m sure I’ll be back very soon
again!
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