As Korean Air finally confirmed our flights to Fukuoka, via a two-day stop-over in Seoul, I have been busy contacting Japanese friends to let them know of our visit.

I am not a big fan of big cities such as Seoul, but I might as well include this into our travel plans. Taking pictures, eating lots of wonderful Korean food, and seeing a few former students of mine, should be the highlight of this short visit.

I prefer the countryside for its slow pace. Big cities are just too generic. If my Korean were any better, I would attempt to explore the Korean countryside. Maybe next time.

This time, we will focus on Japan once more. Again, we will purchase a five-day Kyushu JR railway pass which lets us travel all around the island with stops in Kitakyushu, Beppu, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, and Goto Islands. Each destination has its purpose, of course.

Kitakyushu is the place where I spent three years and therefore have quite a few friends there.

Beppu was great last time – I enjoyed being buried in black sand (see my previous post)

While living in Japan, I never made it down to Miyazaki and this photo, posted by a former student of mine on Facebook, finally convinced me to add it to my list of things to see.

Miyazaki-ken, Japan

Kagoshima is known for its heavy drinkers. Can’t pass this one up! Might have to teach them a lesson or two on drinking beer. . . but keep away the Shōchū (焼酎), a Japanese distilled beverage.

Nagasaki is where we have good friends and from there we will take the ferry to one of the main Goto Islands. Not sure yet which one is the best one to see, but I hope for some recommendations.

Our itinerary is slowly taking shape for visiting Kyushu during cherry blossom time!

We are in the process of finalizing our travel plans for spring break. This time, we return once more to Japan, with a two-day stopover in Seoul, South Korea.

Having lived on the most southern island of Kyushu and grown familiar with the area, we will spend our time there (nine days). We plan to visit some friends in Kitakyushu (Fukuoka prefecture) and Isahaya (Nagasaki prefecture).

This time I would also like to visit Gotō Islands. The Gotō Islands (五島列島 Gotō rettō, literally: “five-island archipelago”), an archipelago of actually 140 islands in the East China Sea, is off the western coast of Kyūshū. The islands are a part of Nagasaki Prefecture.

My brother and daughter are going to join me on this trip. I suggested renting a bike to ride around on one of the Gotō Islands. My daughter, curious about Japan, but usually less curious about me, asked “Mama, can you even ride a bike?”. It is sometimes challenging to act like a grown-up with a teenager on your side.

Kyushu Island, Japan

I hope I do remember how to ride a bike – it has been close to 25 years since I have been on one. Otherwise it would be voll peinlich (totally embarrassing).

For my friends – yes, I will post a photo of me conquering the bike.

One of my favorite images of Japan is the one of the flower Higambana (彼岸花), separating rice fields. The colors are so stunning – the contrast of the green rice plants, the deep red flowers, and the blue mountains in the background are a haven for artists, Zen followers, nature lovers, and dozens more.

Higambana means Autumnal Equinox flower and its blooming  lasts for about 10 days only.

With the current news about Japan and so many negative images of destruction, angst, and death, I tried to remember the Japan I used to know, and the image of the Higambana came to mind.

Higambana flowers and rice fields around Kitakyushu/Japan

The only time I saw these flowers, was when we participated on a bus tour, sponsored by the International Center of Kitakyushu. Otherwise I might have never spotted this plant, which only blooms for a short time.

This sight in late summer, combined with summer’s humidity and a slight evening breeze, is the real Japan.

On March 3, Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) is celebrated in Japan. This Girls’ Day, a.k.a. Dolls’ Festival, is a day to pray for a young girl’s growth and happiness.

Girls' Day in Japan

On my very first Hinamatsuri living in Japan, I was invited by a student’s mom to attend her daughter’s hinamatsuri celebration. My being a foreigner also lured other moms to her house to have a closer look at me – the foreigner with yellow hair and a high nose. And being from Germany also added even more to my being an exotic guest (Kitakyushu had a population of over one million, only four of them German citizens).

They asked about my previous employment in Germany. I told them about my job in management and was surprised to learn they limited my skills  to that of an office lady (OL). As late as the early 90s, office ladies existed en masse within Japanese companies. Their job description entailed the following: be young and pretty, willing to make copies and serve tea.

With great effort due to my then limited Japanese speaking skills and their low English listening skills, it was difficult to convey I had not been an OL. But I managed, but then I got classified as a career woman. Among others, future Rabenmutter also entered my mind. Career woman just sounded being so selfish, with these moms tending to their children’s educational needs and their husbands’ appetite.

It was rather difficult for these Japanese wives to place me in the middle – I was a young woman in my late 20s, working to make a living away from home, and paying my own bills.

A lot has changed in these past 20 years. Young Japanese women have more options nowadays and can fill the in-between spots in society. They have the freedom to be   more than an OL, yet also more than a housewife, and succeed in a career without being called a career woman.

In English, most Japanese wrap-around clothing is referred to as a kimono. In this case however, this little baby/toddler coat would be  appropriately called a yukata (浴衣).

Japanese baby yukata

The interesting part is that it has been made entirely from used cloth diapers. Back in the days, when Japan had not yet been such a throw-away society, the baby’s old diapers got recycled for a practical purpose. After a thourough cleaning, indigo dye was applied to give this lovely tie-dye pattern.

I had read about this technique in one of my Japanese textile history books and got very excited when I actually spotted one in an antique shop (the only tie-dye baby yukata I ever saw in three years of browsing antique shops in Japan).

The price, I believe, was  5000 yen in the early 90s, which equals about € 45 today.