I finally left Nagasaki Prefecture!
Remember back in my previous post when I enjoyed a beach day with Kaiti and her two girls right after I moved to Hario? Well during that day in the sun, Kaiti mentioned a girls trip she was in the early stages of planning and she invited me to join! Of course, I was down- I didn't care where they were going, but I wanted to get out and start exploring! After a few weeks of planning and changing locations for the trip, Kaiti, her two daughters, Julia, and I finally headed off for a long weekend away to Aoshima, Miyazaki!
Day One: Travel Day
We all met up at main base at about 10:30am on Saturday, July 31 and packed into our rental van. An interesting fact about traveling in Japan: because of the added fees for toll roads throughout the country, it's normally cheaper to rent a car/van from the base, where they give you toll tickets, rather than driving your own car! For us, we needed the additional space, but the tolls for our trip totaled over $70 one way, so we really benefitted from the toll tickets! We stopped once during the four-and-a-half-hour trip at a rest area. It was pretty cool, because (1) the bathrooms are SUPER clean and have the Japanese bidets in each stall, (2) the rest areas have different food stalls set up for quick, hot food that isn't just typical rest area snacks, and (3) there are fenced-in dog runs that the pups would have LOVED! We were wanting to get back on the road, so I grabbed (what I thought was) a ham and cheese sandwich, but was in fact a ham, mayo and egg sandwich, and an iced coffee!
We eventually arrived at our rental house around 3:30pm and were blown away with the great view out front! The rental house is located right on the water canal and surrounded with local fishing boats! After unpacking and turning on the much-needed AC in the house, we headed out to find dinner! With lots of places closed, we ended up at a local Thai restaurant, where I ordered *something* based on the picture, the word "pork" and the fact it only had two chili peppers next to it...and it was still VERY SPICY but tasty! We ended our day of travel with drinks back at our home and tons of girl talk once the littles were put to bed!
Day Two: Udo Shrine & Sun Messe Nichinan
We started our first full day in Miyazaki Prefecture by visiting Udo Shrine (pronounced "oo-do"), located right on the Pacific Ocean! Being the first shrine I have visited, I wasn't sure what to expect other than the orange archway, but I was blown away with the beauty of this place and the serene feeling! Of course, taking in the beauty was the second thing on my mind- the first was the HEAT. When I say it was hot, I mean it was scorching. To get to this Shinto shrine, we had to walk up several flights of stairs, through a small village, and then back down some stairs in 90+ degree heat and very high humidity, so by the time we arrived at the Torii we were drenched in sweat! But the view! I'm telling you, it was breathtaking!
What I learned: the orange archway gates are known as "Torii gates," and are found at the entrance of Shinto shrines in Japan. Once you walk under the Torii, you have entered sacred ground. Most Shinto shrines have a main spirit that is represented by an animal throughout the area, and the Udo Shrine is represented by rabbits. Throughout this shrine, there were tons of rabbit statues where people left coins (for luck? prayer? respect? I'm not sure.) After passing under the Torii, there are additional building-like structures, a bunch of rabbit statues and toros (lantern-like statues) along the path. Eventually you reach the chōzuya, a water fountain-like structure, where you purify your hands and mouth before moving further into the sacred area. Because of COVID, we didn't rinse our mouths, but we did rinse our hands before continuing down to the honden, the main structural building that's sole purpose is to contain the kami (religious items of the shrine).
Whew. Ok, lots of Googling to get all the names of things correct. I'm trying yall, so bear with me!
The Udo Shrine is said to be the mythical birthplace of the first emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu. It is believed that the sea goddess, Toyotamahime, built a birth-hut in this cave on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean and now the Udo Shrine is popular with young couples hoping for easy childbirth and a happy marriage. Maybe that explains the rabbit animal choice, I'm not sure!
Being my first shrine, I didn't know what to expect. It was surreal and I especially enjoyed walking around the honden inside the cave, where water dripped off the walls and gave us some relief from the humid heat! It was also a peaceful place, where people left coins and bowed in respect at the front of the honden to honor the kami. Right outside the cave, you could pay 100￥ and toss clay balls over the side of the cliff. If your ball landed in a roped-off circular area, then the couple was extra lucky! With the guys gone, we skipped the clay ball toss, and instead just admired the beautiful scenery!
Once we got outside the torii gate, the grown-ups grabbed iced coffees and the girls enjoyed an ice cream cone at a local coffee shop. We cooled down with our cold drinks as the skies finally gave us some relief from the heat with a short sprinkle of rain! With slightly cooler weather, we hiked back up (and down, and then back up again) to our car and headed off to our next stop: Sun Messe Nichinan.
Just a short drive down the road, we paid 800￥ each to walk around the Sun Messe Nichinan Park. This park is famous for the large moai statue of 7 Easter Island bodies. These statues were restored with special permission from the Easter Island Elders’ Association, and stand 18 feet tall and weigh 18 tons! From the translated signage, it seems several Japanese archeologists restored these sun-worshipping statues with guidance from Easter Island archeologists. The purpose was to have mirroring statues across the Pacific Ocean, that watch over all ships that pass between here and the original Easter Island statues in the South Pacific Ocean.
Farther up the hill in Sun Messe Nichinan, we had a great overlook of the park. We enjoyed the colorful statues and, as we climbed the hill, we couldn't help but laugh- just an hour earlier we were dying from the heat at Udo Shrine, and now we are getting soaked from the rain at the Sun Messe Nichinan! Once we got to the highest point in the park, we noticed what looked like painted patterned butterflies. As we worked our way down the steep hill, we realized it was actually beautiful butterfly rock art designed in the concrete floor!
By this point, we were all ready to head home for a break! While Kaiti took the girls back home for naps, Julia and I went in search for a good, dry lunch spot. We found an AMAZING burger joint that served 100% beef burgers, which is rare since most burgers in Japan are a mixture of beef and pork. I ordered the Hawaiian burger and Julia enjoyed the guacamole and salsa burger. Just like the sign said...mmmm, cholesterol! I had forgotten how much I missed good American-styled burgers!
As we arrived back at our house with full bellies, we heard drums and loud chanting headed our way. We watched as 10 men carried a portable shrine, called a Mikoshi, down to the Ten Shrine directly across the canal from our house! Of course, I rushed inside to grab my camera zoom lens, and we watched the opening ceremony for the Aoshima Obon Festival! Because of COVID, the Matsuri (Japanese festival) wasn't publicized to attract visitors so we really just lucked out with the timing and perfect view! Obon Festivals take place during the summer months in major cities to honor their ancestors. The ceremony we watched honored those ancestors by carrying the Aoshima Shrine's Kami (religious items) to each of the local smaller shrines and then doing a Bon Odori traditional dance outside the shrine. I'm telling you, we couldn't have planned this better! We were just lucky!
We even caught videos of the Obon Ceremony! Here you get a taste of the ceremony that lasted about 10-15 minutes.
We heard that there were supposed to be fireworks around 7pm from Aoshima Shrine, in honor of the Matsuri (festival), so we walked to an open area that had several food shacks right along the coast hoping to enjoy dinner and a show. After an amazing dinner of chicken thighs, mashed potatoes, and a side salad, we sat and enjoyed some drinks while the girls made friends with a little Japanese boy and his parents!
By 8pm, we decided to walk home since it seemed the fireworks weren't happening. Right as we crossed the canal the fireworks began, so we sat right on the waterway's edge and enjoyed the spectacular show! It was a great way to end the day!
Day Three: Aoshima Shrine, Nichinankaigan Quasi-National Park Beach, Miyakoh Botanic Gardens
Knowing that low tide was at 7am on August 2, we started our final day of exploring at 7:15am by walking the mile and a half to Aoshima Shrine! This shrine is located on an island that is accessible by a pedestrian bridge. Again, we learned it doesn't matter how early we start our day, we will be dripping sweat within 20 minutes of being outside!
Aoshima Shrine is known as the honeymooner's shrine; another lover's shrine to knock off my list! The cool thing about this shrine is the Ogre's Washboard rock formation that surrounds the island. Over thousands of years, the waves have created this unique rock carving along the ocean floor that can only be viewed during low tide. We were able to walk out on the "washboard" to get a unique view of the Torri Gate!
We eventually walked past the Komainu, or "lion-dogs" that guard the shrine, then purified our hands at the chōzuya, and continued in to admire the honden and several smaller shrines, called hokoras. To the left of the honden, we spotted one of the Mikoshis (portable shrines) from yesterday's Bon Odori! To the right of the honden, was another Ema, where people pay to write their wishes on wooden signs and then hang them on the structure. After walking under the archway covered in wishes, we saw yet another hokora tucked away in the trees. Another serene shrine in the books!
On our walk back to our house, we stopped in a local bakery for brunch and to take advantage of some air-conditioning around the halfway mark on our walk back to the rental house! I got one of each pictured below...I may have bought more than one meal's worth, but it was all so good and it gave me plenty to snack on throughout the day!
Once we cooled off back at the house, we changed into our bathing suits and drove the short distance to Nichinankaigan Quasi-National Park, where we paid 500￥ to park and enjoy a few hours in the sun. We were lucky that others were already in the water, so we knew we were safe to swim without fear of jellyfish! It was a hot afternoon under the blazing sun, but we enjoyed reading some, and splashing around in the waves with the girls!
I'm not even embarrassed to admit we went back to the burger place for dinner! It was just as good the second time, and clearly, we ate until we dropped!
On our walk back home, we stopped by the Miyakoh Botanic Gardens, where we saw all kinds of flowers, fruits, and plants. I also experienced my first Japanese 7/11. Now Japan is known for their 7/11 stores- you can get everything there, including fresh, hot grab-n-go meals. Everyone had talked up these mini grocery stores that can be found on almost every corner throughout Japan, so we stopped by a 7/11 on our way home for ice cream!
Day Four: Headed Back Home!
By 9:30am on August 3rd, we were on the road and headed to Starbucks! We figured we needed the caffeine boost for the 5-hour trek back home. Remember those specialty Starbucks drinks I mentioned in an earlier blog post? Well, Miyazaki Prefecture's drink is the "Tege Kira-kira Hyuganatsu Frappuccino," and since we were here, I had to try it! Made with the citrus fruit, hyuganatsu, this tart drink made my cheeks pucker and I LOVED IT! You know how much I love anything packed with tartness, so this lemon-like flavor really got me moving! I'll go so far to say, it would be worth the 5-hour drive down to get one. Yeah, it was that good!
As we headed back towards Sasebo we left behind the palm tree-lined streets and returned to our beautiful mountainous landscape. Along the ride home, we stopped at another rest stop for a potty break and we spotted another dog play area! Good to know there are pet spots for our future travels!
Once I got home, I was greeted with two very happy pups! Hugo and Reynolds were happy I was home, but the second their puppy sitter, Abigail, stopped by to return the house key, I saw how quickly they were willing to ditch me for their new best friend! Abigail was so good about sending me pictures while I was gone, I never once worried about my fur babies! Clearly, they had a great time and I feel so good to know the pups will be taken care of when Bryan and I plan future trips!
To say I had a great time is an understatement! I thoroughly enjoyed this girl's trip and I am so blessed to have met women who are so welcoming and inclusive! I can't wait for the next trip and for many more girl days in the future!
'Til next time!
-Katie
Kaiti's girls are so cute and are so blessed to be able to travel and be emerged in the Japanese culture. Their teachers are gong to love having them share their experiences as Navy kids!!!
The shrines are so creative and peaceful... And the little shrines they carried in celebration (In the video), it looks like they are trying to shake the gods out of their shrines... wake them up :) I love how the different animals are part of the shrines! Now I know where Disney came up with "Mushu" the dragon!!! He guards the hand washing stations! "I'M A DRAGON... not a lizard... I don't do the tongue thing" :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn5ftr1ezbk
Talk about beautiful landscape! The rounded rocks…
Enjoyed this so much. Felt like I was there except for the heat. Glad you have met such good friends who like to go on field trips too and include you. Really glad you have found a good god mother for the dogs while you are gone.Had ny yaka soba yet?