As much as I appreciate these presents, it became time for me to start rearranging a few things around our home. While reorganizing my collectibles, I found this Yosegi-zaiku parquetry box. I would have just moved it aside, if I had not read an article about this special skill just a few days before.

Parquetry box from Japan

Yosegi-zaiku parquetry is a craft combining colors and grains of wood to create mosaics.

The different types of wood used are macropoda holly, zelkova, lacquer tree, or camphor tree.

The very first yosegi-zaiku is said to have been made by the artist Ishikawa Nihei of the Hakone region in Kanagawa Prefecture in the later part of the Edo period.

This traditional craft is done by Japanese with a deep understanding of the nature of wood.

Just this month, we were fortunate to visit Mt. Aso on a sunny morning.

On our way up, we stopped at this roadside stand selling blocks of sulfur.

Blocks of sulfur for sale on Mt. Aso

Notice the shade of green in the bubbling hot water.

Mt. Aso in Japan

This is one of my favorite pictures showing volcanic rock formations and a man-made rail.

Volcanic formations around Mt. Aso

Last, but not least. I have again become a fan of Japan’s unusual fusion food, strange concoctions, and unlikely flavorings, such as this one…. black sesame ice cream.

Black Sesame Ice Cream at Mt. Aso

Out of the unusual ice cream flavors I had sampled during this trip (Black Sesame, Wasabi and Corn), I liked the wasabi flavored one the best (more about that on my post about the Taio Gold Mine near Hita).

She is retired now and lives with her husband in a log cabin in Nakatsue. With her help, we secured a fairly inexpensive overnight deal in a Minpaku. Our charge was 3000 Yen per person (about 30 euro per person).

What is a Minpaku you might ask. Definition of Minpaku taken from Kyushu Educational Travel Net:

This Minpaku experience, which allows visitors to experience rural culture as typified by local cuisine, beautiful scenery and abundant nature, has been becoming popular. In Kagoshima Prefecture, a NPO organization coordinates more than 700 individual homes.

Staying in a minpaku is the cheapest form of accommodation, next is the Minshuku, topped by a Ryokan in convenience and comfort.

With our Minpaku arrangement, we had a whole log cabin to ourselves, it came without breakfast (instant coffee and tea were available), and it was just great!

Minpaku log cabin

For some reason, I did not take any photos on the inside. Our minpaku was fully equipped with heaters, flat screen TV, and all the amenities one could ask for.

Come warmly dressed though as these arrangements high up in the mountains can be rather cold even in April. The thermometer read – 1°C at 10 p.m.

Mountains of Hita, Oita-ken

On my next trip to Kyushu, I will book a Minpaku again.

Usuki Stone Buddhas

Usuki Stone Buddha park surroundings

Cherry blossom petals were everywhere near the end of the hanami season.

Stairs in Usuki

Bamboo forest in Usuki

Wandering crabs in Usuki

While watching our step going up the stairs, we also noticed quite a few river crabs working their way down.

Unfortunately, due to our busy schedule, there was no time to sit under the trees with food and drink.

Takatoyama Park in Wakamatsu-ku

Cherry blossoms in a small village near Beppu

Cherry Blossoms in Hita

The pink lanterns always add a nice touch to this scenery. At  times, the wind shook the branches and we saw blossoms dancing in the sunshine.

Hanami season in Japan

We still have some funny pictures of our baby son, an excessive drooler at that time, at a hanami picnic, with cherry petals sticking to his face and neck. His drooling had also earned him the nickname よだれくん (yodarekun).

Just today, we had a good bye get-together for a friend who is returning to Yokohama this evening. Then a former student took us to a famous lantern museum (Edo period) with lunch following at a popular Japanese restaurant.

After that I was taken to the patchwork shop in Tobata where I used to take patchwork lessons. Even my former teacher and another student came for this little reunion. This was again followed by cake and coffee. By then, my companions were too tired to join me on another trip down the road to visit a traditional home fully furnished in Japanese antiques.

Now at 8:50 p.m., we are soon off to our last visit, a friend’s mom right here in Wakamatsu. All the other little stops along the way and making arrangements for tomorrow’s plan go unmentioned.

We have already had many good laughs such as earlier when we got picked up once more. Another engagement, another car to hop into. There have been so many pick-ups that we don’t even pay much attention what car we get into when it is waiting out front. My daughter hopped into the first car in front of the gate, I hopped in right after. The driver turned around and cupped her hand over her mouth. It was not who we had expected, but a complete stranger. I managed a couple of  sumimasen and another gomen nasai for good measure. My brother, who had observed everything was doubling over from laughter.

Tomorrow, we are off backpacking and our first stop will be Beppu in northern Kyushu.

The next morning, we completely overslept. From the time we woke up to the departing flight we had 2:15. We packed in a frenzy, showered in a hurry and hailed the next best cab to the airport (from northern central Seoul to Incheon the fare was 50.500 Won).

It was also snowing quite heavily at that time. Heavy for the month of April, that is.

We made it to the airport, checked in and exchanged our Korean Won into Japanese Yen and then set off running the rest of the way. We were the last ones to board.

It was a turbulent flight due to strong winds. Our pilot made a successful landing on the second approach. We were fortunate to land as we could see some departing flights being cancelled out of  Fukuoka Airport.

We were awaited by our dear friends for an uneventful car ride to Kitakyushu.

Japan looks so much greener than the Korean landscape we have just left behind. We are back in the land of the broccoli mountains.

This is where I will release it into the wild.

Travelling books Japan

This book is about American baseball and I have no idea how it found its way into my little library in Germany. The Japanese like baseball, so it might be appreciated.

Travelling Books Japan

If you do find the book, let me know. Chances are 1 : 1.000.000, but that’s the fun part.

But as the anniversary is drawing near, more documentation surfaces. When I noticed the length of the film (58 minutes), I decided to only have a 10-minute peek at it. But I could not stop watching it.

BBC’s documentary film Japan’s Children of the Tsunami  features children telling their side of the story. A very sober, yet also heart-wrenching documentation about how life goes on for the 80,000 residents, the ones who had to evacuate to emergency housing outside the exclusion zone.

Children narrate their experience during the Tsunami, how they live today, and what their hopes and dreams are for the future.

Personally, I don’t think there is a chance to move back any time in the near future.

One month from today, I will be in Japan once more. We will be touring the island of Kyushu and this will be my first time to travel as a backpacker via JR Railway Pass.

Kyushu is quite far away from Fukushima (966 km/600 miles), but after watching this documentary, I know the aftermath is far from over.