(4) Kyushu Trip : 14-15 Dec 2016 - Unzen / Shimabara / Kumamoto

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14-December-2016

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We woke up early this morning and checked-out of the Airbnb apartment. There were two more attractions in Nagasaki we needed to visit before setting off to the east.

Inasayama Park

We drove up Inasayama Park (稲佐山公園) to stroll up Mount Inasa. Healthy lifestyle. The other time, we had a night scenery view up at the top.

Mount Inasa (Inasayama in Japanese) is a mountain located to the west of central Nagasaki city. It is 333 meters high. There is the observatory on the top of the mountain, and we can see the wonderful view of the Nagasaki city. The distance between this observatory and the main spots in Nagasaki city is about 2 to 4 km, so we can see them quite clearly.

A deer enclosure.

What a view at the top, but this time it was in the morning.

Next, we drove to Nagasaki Peace Park.

Nagasaki Peace Park is a park located in Nagasaki, Japan, commemorating the atomic bombing of the city on August 9, 1945 during World War II. It is next to the Atomic Bomb Museum and near the Peace Memorial Hall. At the park's north end is the 10-meter-tall Peace Statue created by sculptor Seibo Kitamura of Nagasaki Prefecture. The statue's right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons while the extended left hand symbolizes eternal peace. The mild face symbolizes divine grace and the gently closed eyes offer a prayer for the repose of the bomb victims' souls. The folded right leg and extended left leg signify both meditation and the initiative to stand up and rescue the people of the world. The statue represents a mixture of western and eastern art, religion, and ideology. Installed in front of the statue is a black marble vault containing the names of the atomic bomb victims and survivors who died in subsequent years.

Many tourists got here before we did.

It was time to mount up and drive into the mountainous region of Unzen. It was not very far away but the route cut through farmlands and mountainous terrains.

You could guess what we had lunch along the way.

Finally we arrived and our first stop in the mid afternoon was the Unzen Jigoku (Unzen Hell).

Unzen Jigoku (“Unzen Hell”): Hot water and gases spout out of the earth. White steam and a smell of sulfur accompany you as you walk through this hotspot of volcanic activity. The songs of the wild birds bring another aspect to the scene: in this place, nature shows both its fierceness and beauty in a fascinating spectacle. It was also a site where Christians were martyred. A document records that Matsukura Shigemasa, posted to the Shimabara domain, tortured Christians at so-called ‘hells’ in the mountains of Unzen. During the period between 1627 and 1632, Christians were tortured to death in the boiling waters of the hot springs. At a place called Oito Jigoku (‘Oito Hell’) stand two monuments to the victims, although the exact sites of the martyrdom are uncertain

A perfect place for hot spring bath.

There was a memorial site for the tortured Christians who were sacrificed into the hells.

There were many hot spring hotels in the vicinity, very famous for locals.

Feel free to check out the free flowing hot "sulfurous" spring water.

Or just soak your feet in there for free.

Unzen was a small town with several touristy shops and nice abodes owned by local residents.

A local shrine.

Nightfall was coming soon, and it was time to check in to one of the hot spring hotels.

Nice cosy room!

Olivia was all dressed up to go to the in-house hot spring bath downstairs.

After hot spring bath, authentic Japanese dinner was served ontime!

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15-December-2016

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Rise and shine! We checked out of the hotel early morning.

We said good bye to Mount Unzen as we head towards Shimabara coast in the east.

First stop was the Mount Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall and the actual site of the buried houses.

Mount Unzen has had several major eruptions in recent history, the deadliest of which occurred during the late Edo Period and resulted in the deaths of 15,000 people. The volcano erupted most recently from 1990 to 1995, sending pyroclastic flows (superheated clouds of volcanic gas and ash) down toward the town below. While most people were safely evacuated, 43 journalists, scientists and their taxi drivers were killed. The eruptions also destroyed buildings on the outskirts of Shimabara City. The Mount Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall (雲仙岳災害記念館, Unzendake Saigai Kinenkan) is an excellent museum that was built to commemorate the volcano's 1990s eruption and ensuing disaster. The museum uses hands on displays and videos to educate visitors about how volcanoes work and how they affect the lives of those who live around them. The highlight of the exhibition is the eruption simulator, an immersive film that tries to simulate a pyroclastic flow using motion and heat. Much of the volcano's destruction was due to large mudflows of volcanic ash, known as lahars, which flowed down the mountainside, burying several homes and buildings that lay in their path. A small collection of these Buried Houses can be seen at the Mizunashi Honjin Fukae Michi no Eki roadside park. A few of the houses are protected under a dome.

Here was a landscape view of Mount Unzen from the Disaster Memorial Hall.

Next, we drove to Shimabara City. We did brief stop at the City of Swimming Carp, it is a quiet neighborhood lined by narrow canals filled with hundreds of brightly colored carp (koi), lies south of the castle. The waterways are fed with filtered spring water that passes through Mount Unzen's volcanic layers before bubbling up around the neighborhood. Along the streets are two preserved, traditional style houses that are open to visitors. One of these, the Shimeiso House, has a beautiful garden and spring-fed pond.

Carps swim freely through the drains and into the houses' ponds.

Hot Ocha was served in the Shimeso house.

One more attraction to visit before we headed to Shimabara Ferry Terminal. It is the Shimabara Castle.

Shimabara Castle (島原城, Shimabarajō), is a white walled castle built during the early Edo Period as the seat of the local feudal lord. The castle was the extravagant centerpiece of the feudal domain and was far larger than those found in domains of similar status. The heavy taxation that was imposed to pay for its construction, together with the religious persecution of local Christians, were major factors that led up to the Shimabara Rebellion (1637-1638), a significant peasant uprising. Shimabarajō was eventually destroyed during the Meiji Period (1868-1912). The current buildings are concrete reconstructions from 1964. The five-story keep houses the Castle Tower Museum with a collection of Christian artifacts excavated from the castle ruins, weapons and armor. An observation deck on the 5th floor has views out to Mount Unzen and across the water to Kumamoto on clear days.

View of Mount Unzen from the top of the castle

Another view from the top of the castle. Can you see Kumamoto in the distance?

It was time to get on a ferry to cross the sea towards Kumamoto.

We drove the car into the ferry as well.

We had to disembark our car and get onto the passenger seating area. It was an hour's ferry ride to Kumamoto. We went out to see a group of Japanese students feed seagulls with snacks.

Soon we had to disembark the ferry and drove towards Kumamoto. After driving less than an hour, we arrived at Kumamoto.

By the time we got to the town centre, it was already nightfall. We quickly checked into the Airbnb apartment.

The apartment was located at the heart of the shopping street and malls. We decided to spend the remaining hours at night to do a quick dinner and finish the evening with window shopping at the shopping streets.

A must-try local delicacy was the horsemeat. You can have it grilled or shashimi styled.