Where did the time go? I have no concept of what day of the week it is, or even what city we're in (Kyoto, for the record), the days have just blurred together because we've been in a different city every night almost! Such an incredible experience. Sorry I haven't been as diligent with my updates as I had hoped I would be. Lack of a reliable internet connection is one hindrance, you would be surprised how many hotels don't have wifi. There is free wifi in many of the public areas, like along the Shijo Dori shopping street here in Kyoto, but we are so rarely ever in one place for any extended period of time, it is difficult to get anything productive done in terms of checking in at home. Normally I would compose my thoughts on the train since we spend hours upon hours on the Shinkansen (as Hiroko says, it's "free" so we might as well take advantage of it!) but my motion sickness is crippling, so I spend most of my time trying to sleep away the nausea.
It is late here now and we have another long day of traveling tomorrow so I apologize for glazing over some of the details again in this post! Yesterday was our second day in Beppu, so we visited the Takasakiyama park, or Monkey Mountain as they call it. It really is a mountain full of "wild" Japanese macaques. There are over 1000 of them living there this year, they live in the mountains and come down to the reserve for food twice a day. You can wander through there during the day amongst them (no, you can't pet them though) and they sort of do their own thing. It was fascinating. I could have spent the entire day there just watching them interact with each other. They had big ones, little ones, even babies, and there was a clear hierarchy between the alpha males.
After that we spent an hour or two at the Umi Tamago "Sea Egg" aquarium across the street. They had dolphins, walruses, seals, otters, Sea turtles, sharks, frogs, you name it! They even had a sloth! Again, we didn't have enough time to spend there but I'm glad we went. For a town that Hiroko described as boring with "not much to see", I think I could have spent a good 4 days there and not have to do the same thing twice. Other than soak in the hot springs, that is.
From the aquarium Hiroko hired a taxi driver to take us out to the little town of Yufuin, about an hour from Beppu. It is a small European inspired town they built around 1945 when they put in the highway. Seems totally random to me that it is European, of all things, but to the Japanese, that is exotic to them. The area is known for its greenhouses as the hot springs allow them to grow the most brilliant orchids. We spent a few hours wandering through the streets and parks there. It was bustling with other tourists, mostly other young Asians (Chinese and Korean tour busses run through there too). There is also a popular university nearby so a lot of the students take jobs in the town to make some extra money.
Fast forward to tonight - we are back in Kyoto, heading to Ise via Nagoya tomorrow to meet up with some other friends for Chako's father's 88th birthday celebration. I bought a kimono tonight, a black tomesode (formal) kimono that was very reasonably priced, although still a lot of money to spend on one item of clothing. The ladies were gushing over the fact that a Yonsei 4th Generation Canadian is more Japanese than they are because I know how to put on a kimono and tie a basic obi. I guess I never really thought of it that way, most modern Japanese women would never have to wear kimono, and if they do, they don't dress themselves. So I have my odori Sensei to thank for that! And my parents for putting me in odori from age 2.
I'm exhausted now so going to sign out for the evening. Attempting to share a few more photos, hope these links work! Thanks for following, especially enjoying the feedback from all of you! I learned from my Aunt that my great grandparents on the Matsui side spent some time in Beppu as well. Truthfully, I don't know much about my family history so I found that very interesting! Thank you Auntie Mary and Uncle Roy. I look forward to swapping more stories when I get home!
First photo, taken in Yufuin somewhere near Kinrinko Lake. http://instagr.am/p/IZVfQJzMgf/
Some early ume (plum) blossoms in Kyoto http://instagr.am/p/IUDHdJTMsB/
And one of the sharks at the aquarium! http://instagr.am/p/IadQXuzMs-/
xo Kris
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