Saturday plan: hike, then, late afternoon, “reposition” myself to Okayama, ready to explore islands south of Okayama.
Category: Place
Hot Spring Selfie
View at the bottom of Mt. Yufu after the climb. My first hot spring selfie. (Solo hot spring, so OK to take photos.)
Mount Yufu Summit
View at the top of Mt. Yufu (Kyushu) today, Friday.
At the Edge of a Volcano
Hiked all day on volcano Aso-san. Massive caldera. Air quality got iffy at its steaming crater: told to “evacuate.”
Plan to Climb a Volcano
Thursday: early train from Kumamoto, hike on huge, live volcano (Aso-san–see map pin), then evening train to Oita.
Kumamoto Castle
History day #2: massive Kumamoto Castle, a reproduction. The last samuris largely destroyed the original in 1877.
Dejima, Nagasaki
Dejima artificial island, Nagasaki: from 1641–1859, Japan’s only link to Europe. That’s why I’m visiting Nagasaki.
Nagasaki Peace Park
Origami cranes, Nagasaki Peace Park.
Up Next: Nagasaki
Today, Monday: Kagoshima to my next base, Nagasaki. I’ll take a bullet train, then an express train.
Up a Volcano with a Swedish Dancer
Climbed a 3000 ft volcano with a Swedish dancer. The trail curves round the volcano, no switchbacks–unique in Japan.