Unzen to Kumamoto

We were up early (Andrea has been an unbelievably pleasant riser the entire trip) for the next leg of our journey. From Unzen we caught a bus to the Shimabara Ferry, where we took a high speed ferry across to Kumamoto.  Unzen National Park (which was Japan's first) was established in 1934.   It is home to Mount Unzen, an active volcano that last erupted about 20 years ago killing 41 people.  I'll post a picture below that we took from the ferry.

A word about the weather.  We have totally lucked out.  Last night it rained - really the first rain we had have had on our trip.  It started right around the time we bathed last night and stopped shortly before we left the hotel for our bus ride.  And what had been predicted to be a rainy Saturday turned out to be picture perfect.  Not a cloud in the sky and cool temperatures.

The timing worked great and the ferry left about 15 minutes after our bus got us to the terminal.  It was interesting - the interior was reminiscent of a bad Vegas wedding chapel, fake flowers and all.

But of course is was all about what was outside, and Shimabara Bay has both mountains and islands to view as you travel across.  And you could look back to see Mt. Unzen, the volcano.  Here's a couple of photos, one of which actually proves that we are here and together.

We got to Kumamoto, dropped out bags off at the hotel and began sightseeing in earnest.  First, a garden.  We have not done well so far with gardens, so Suizenji Koen came as a pleasant change.  It is small and most definitely tucked into an urban setting, but the good news is that finally the cherry trees were in bloom.  The rest of the garden was pretty standard Japanese fare - some sculpted pine trees, bodies of water, rocks and stones, lots of fat carp - the usual.  But it was really nice weather and a nice afternoon walk.

For those who may be wondering, there are no longer oysters harvested in Kumamoto.  We are not exactly sure why - we have seen references to "improper handling" and "pollution."  But they did originate here.  They are now grown in the Pacific Northwest.

Both of us remarked today how many kids we saw being carried by either a parent or even a grandparent.  It seemed a little odd.   Sometimes they were in carriers, but often it was just the old fashioned way, either on the hip or occasionally even saddled up on the carrier's back.

Kumamoto is probably best know for its castle, purportedly one of the top three castles in Japan.  Built in the 15th and 16th centuries (although today's structures are in large part reconstructions of the original), it is massive and is the centerpiece for an area that includes art museums, craft museums and old residences of significance.  On a lovely spring day, it was also a magnet for thousands of visitors.  We "did" the castle as well as a samurai residence at the edge of the grounds.  Then we called it quits, having had a pretty full day of travel and sightseeing.