Trip to Kyūshū, Part IV

Before returning to Fukuoka we stopped by a little town called Mameda in Oita prefecture. Many of the structures in Mameda date back to the Edo period, leaving many traces of old Japan. We had the afternoon to stroll around the town and happened to spot a cute bakery five minutes after arriving. I couldn't resist buying a pudding to snack on, I love sweets. Then off we went to wander around the old town. It's places like these that I really love to explore, there are so many charming things to see (and eat), like that raccoon statue with the sunglasses. Mameda is such a beautiful town, I was very lucky that the weather was perfect for taking pictures. The first photo is currently my desktop wallpaper.

On another note, classes have started and the rainy season has arrived. I don't think I'll be able to take as many pictures.. Luckily I think I've got one last photo diary to share plus some film pictures that have yet to be developed. Two months after my trip ended, I'm finally about to conclude by Trip to Kyūshū posts, thank you for being patient with me and my sloth-paced posting! By the way, today is Independence Day in the Philippines (yay!) which means no school (double yay!).

Take care everyone!

Trip to Kyūshū, Part III

Looking at these pictures reminds me of how wonderful it was to feel a cold breeze graze your skin. Oh, how I miss spring in Japan, even if some days were gray and rainy. We passed by acres and acres of farm land, reaching deep into the countryside. Houses were sparse but the charming sights were abundant. Cozy eateries, rivers, an occasional garden patch, and a quietness that you just can't get any place else. It was like a glimpse of the perfect farm life, my dream. Anyone familiar with Harvest Moon? Ha ha. I visited some hot springs, had my share of inhaling sulfur-filled air (gas that emits hell) and even got to try out some hot spring boiled eggs! Sadly, I eventually had to part with the bucolic landscape. Although making our way back to the city was pretty nice since I got to fill myself up with yummy parfaits almost every time we entered a restaurant. I also got to meet two of the cutest kids ever. There was a boy (who could very well be a girl..) cosplaying as a ninja at Kumamoto Castle. He gave my nephew a paper shuriken, it was so sweet. Then there was Yutsuha/Yudzuha, a little girl who was celebrating her 5th birthday, thus the elaborate kimono. We saw her by a pond feeding some ducks, it was so picturesque. She was like a living doll, we couldn't resist asking her for a photo.

Trip to Kyūshū, Part II

A new day, a new city. Visiting the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park was an educational experience that no textbook could ever equal, albeit much more depressing and eerie. Fortunately, there were some furry friends in the park that lifted my spirits: the most obedient Shiba Inu being trained to become a statue by its master, (he barely moved an inch when I came up to take a picture) and a group of the cutest and fattest cats I have ever seen. To top it all off, a rainbow! Next on the itinerary was Glover Garden, a park dedicated to Thomas Blake Glover who contributed to Japan's modernization. The park surrounds a hill so it was quite a workout getting to the top but it all paid off after getting to see a panoramic view of the Nagasaki harbor. Along the way were a couple of charming boutiques, sakura trees, and statues of Cio-cio san, a character from the opera Madama Butterfly and Giacomo Puccini, who wrote it.

P.S. I'm quite finicky about editing pictures, not to mention it takes a long while for me to get into the groove of writing. I apologize for posting so slowly.