Hakata (Fukuoka), Monday through Saturday: 08:53 People start to assemble outside the steel roller shutter door. 08:55 Voices behind the shutter make a declaration in unison. 08:59 An electric motor whirs as the shutter slowly rises. The scene slowly reveals itself: an office with about 30 workers in business attire. Three are standing at the…… Continue reading Behind the Steel Door
Author: Tom Wilson
Hita Station
I can add Hita train station, northern Kyushu, Japan, to my “delighted” list. By any standards, it’s a small station. A single train track enters town, and a single track leaves town. At Hita station, the track fans out into multiple tracks, more than enough to handle the three platforms and the boarding of an…… Continue reading Hita Station
Animatronic Hell
Painting of Buddhist hell, Daihonzan Naritasan Temple, Kurume, Japan. The things you learn when you travel. I had no idea there was a Buddhist hell. I first caught a whiff of it this week in Unzenonsen, Kyushu, Japan. Hydrogen sulphide, boiling water bubbling out the ground, steam. It was Buddhist monks, back in 701 AD, who…… Continue reading Animatronic Hell
Channeling Eva Gabor in Kirishima
As the floor plan shows, the lower levels of big Japanese resort hotels have something for everyone. Last week, in Kirishima, Kyushu, Japan, I walked through the hotel’s amusement area dressed in a yukata, clutching a towel, heading for the stairs to the outdoors hot springs. People were laughing and joking and drinking. Their…… Continue reading Channeling Eva Gabor in Kirishima
Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park
Mount Ebinodake and Onami Pond.From where I’m sitting in my hotel room, I see steam vents, and can smell their sulfurous fumes. Further in the distance, over 20 miles further in the haze, is the unmistakable cone of Sakurajima, the massive, active volcano across the bay from Kagoshima, southern Japan. At night, I see the distant…… Continue reading Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park
It Takes a Village
Yesterday I was in such an intense conversation with Iris, thirtyish, from Switzerland, we almost missed the only bus from the trailhead that day. I get to meet fine people when hiking. These are people who put some effort into their travels. They discover and research trails, they put one foot in front of another…… Continue reading It Takes a Village
Saturday Hike in Kagoshima
After being in Airport World for five days, it was good to spend today, Saturday, hiking in Kagoshima and the surrounding hills. When you hike on a Saturday you get to see the locals enjoying their place. Early in the hike I was the audience for a group of taiko drummers, practicing their art. I could feel…… Continue reading Saturday Hike in Kagoshima
An Unplanned Night in Houston
Well, I didn’t get too far today.The plan was to get from Fort Lauderdale to Kirishima, southern Japan. Instead I got as far as Houston.My United flight from Houston to Tokyo was repeatedly delayed: something about a problem under the floor, eventually traced to a cargo door.I retreated to the KLM club where I’m grandfathered…… Continue reading An Unplanned Night in Houston
From Beaches to Volcanoes
It’s time to leave a world of beaches for travel with a bit of fiber in it. This weekend, in Naples, Florida, I got reunited with my hiking boots and walking shoes and mailed the lesser stuff back home. I’m on my way to Kirishima, southern Japan. I’ll connect to a flight in Houston Tuesday…… Continue reading From Beaches to Volcanoes
Pleading the Fifth in Naples, Florida
My urban hiking this weekend in Naples, Florida, included quiet side streets lined with posh homes. As I walked, I thought about the logistics of maintaining multiple homes, and the burden of mortgages. When hiking through farmland I avoid getting between cow and calves. In this spirit, I was walking on the street so I…… Continue reading Pleading the Fifth in Naples, Florida