Kumamoto

 

 

A three day holiday gave us just enough time to hop in the car and take a mini-holiday to my Japanese hometown! I have been dying to show Ryota the place where I first experienced Japan, as it is truly a different world than Osaka. In many ways, it is an insight into a more traditional Japan. A place where people still bow deeply and most people have traditional Japanese homes instead of western style rooms with sofas and chairs. It is breathtakingly beautiful and so are the people!

Here are some people from Yunomae hamlet at a rice harvest get-together. I don't think I would mind the work of harvesting rice with a backdrop like that.

  

 

We headed to the village where I lived for two years, dear Mizukami. Though the weather was not entirely accomodating, we stayed in a log cabin and did a little bbq. It was so great to see everyone!

 

  

 

I'd liked to have stayed at the campground for a week or so, but time is never time at all. The next morning we were off to peek in at a shrine before heading up to Kumamoto city.

    

This *ahem* special shrine was almost Ryota's undoing. Upon entering, he promptly knocked over and spilled a rice whiskey offering, no doubt angering the gods of manlihood.

Fortunately we had gifts of rice whiskey in the car and Ryota was able to make absolutions. That's the most religiously fervent I've ever seen him!

     

In Kumamoto city we hit the castle and then went out for a divine meal where every course contained basashi (horse meat). Succulent!

Then we headed out for a drink and ran into Randall, a former English teacher down in Kuma county. Tell me we don't live in a very small world. Either that, or Kuma county is working some vodoo magic that calls us back again and again...

 

  

 

   

So, uh, then I was a samurai and then we went home. The end.

 

Oh yes. The day that we left to head back for Osaka, the drunken horse festival was going on in Kumamoto city. We watched for a little bit, and fortunately left just minutes before a horse went crazy and attacked the crowd. Not that we would have been in danger anyway, what with my newly found ability to wield a sword.