Cherry Blossom viewing at Kumamoto castle

Kumamoto castle

Kumamoto castle is great to visit during cherry blossom viewing season (late March/early April) . It is a little more crowded at this time of year especially at weekends and holidays but this is because it is more beautiful.

The castle dates back to 1467 but has been partially rebuilt with the main keep being a concrete reconstruction dating from 1960. There are some of the old wooden buildings that still remain.

 It is possible to spend about 2-3 hours walking around the castle exploring all the buildings, even going to the top of the keep.  From here you have a panoramic view of Kumamoto and the surrounding park. There is also a museum showing parts of the original castle and photos of all the castle in Japan.

                
The older buildings also offer a rare glimpse of some of the samurai armour (right) and traditional style rooms.  Again in the larger of these buildings you can climb to the top to gain a better view of the castle and the surroundings.

There is a small shop (above) where you can get a boxed lunch, some snacks and of course edible souvenirs (i.e. delicious foods). It is a good spot for taking a break and people watching.
Travelling to Kumamoto from Fukuoka is easy either by car bus or rail. The Shinkansen (high speed train) will open on the 12th of March 2011 and the trip will then be just 30mins for around 5000 yen. Kumamoto is also just a short hop form Mount Aso

Visa problems

Hi I know this is playing on the minds of lots of people at the moment so here is a link to some visa information I read on the Japan times website earlier this year. I hope this can help someone. 

A Trip to Mt Aso

Mt Aso (阿蘇山) is a 2-3 hour car trip from Fukuoka. It is an active volcano as you can see from the picture (above). The caldera is one of the biggest in the world with a 25km diameter. You can drive to within a very short walk from the crater and can get a very close look. The gases given off by the volcano are poisonous so this is best avoided if you suffer from respiratory problems.   

 Near the Nakadake crater (above) there is a pond and some horses (below). Here you can ride the horses except in winter. There are also some paths you can walk and ride along.

Across the road from here where you can park, are some shops and restaurants for snacks and souvenirs. In the Aso area there are also lots of onsens (hot springs) where you can relax.

Japanese women want to keep their surnames.

A group of Japanese people are challenging a 113 year old law that prevents them from keeping their surnames once married. Read the full article

Trip to Shimonoseki and Mojiko

On Friday I took the bus from Tenjin bus station (Fukuoka) to Shimonoseki  (Shimonoseki guide) 4,800 yen return for two people travel time 1 hour 45 mins.

When arriving in Shimonoseki I stayed on the bus until the stop for the fish market. Here you try try all different kinds of fish for reasonable prices. If feeling brave there are lots of ways to try the local speciality fugu (puffer fish). There are also some places nearby to get a coffee or a snack in the warm or cool depending on the season. Below are some pictures of the fish market and fugu soup.

From here there is a short 15- 20 min walk to the tunnel under the sea to Mojiko (mojiko guide). This tunnel is free for pedestrians and there is just a small fee for bicycles. At the other side you can walk for 20-30mins to the main centre of Mojiko or there is a bus about once an hour.

Once in the town centre there is the retro station to look at and also the bedroom where Einstein and his wife stayed while in Japan (the house is below). this is all a short walk from the town centre (5mins). While in Mojiko I recommend that you try the yaki curry (baked curry and rice with cheese on top). There is a restaurant between the train station and the ferry station called Le cafe. Here you can get a set curry for around 1000 yen with a drink and salad.

 
The ferry back to Shimonoseki runs every 10mins during holidays and costs about 400yen. In the evening the area around the fish market is quiet with just a few izakayas and restaurants in the area.

Fukuoka average precipitation

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Fukuoka(mm)	72.1	71.2	108.7	125.2	138.9	272.1	266.4	187.6	175.0	80.9	80.5	53.8

Fukuoka average temperatures

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Fukuoka(˚C)	6.4	6.9	9.9	14.8	19.1	22.6	26.9	27.6	23.9	18.7	13.4	8.7