until the end of the South (4 of 8)

unZen and the art of natural hot spring-ing!

This episode deserves to be a special one. Not only because we just landed on the Nagaski prefecture, entering from Kumamoto straight to the heart of Unzen's moutains covered in dark, dense forest. And not only because Unzen is famous all over Japan for its Hell* and the tradition of Onsen - the very word probably coming from the village's name. It is also because this episode is the 150th of our blog!!

welcome to "Unzen hell": a chaos of sand, rock and smokey puddles of green and grey, with the exact smell of a rotten egg's fart...

Yes, 150 posts in almost exactly 3 years, that means a post every 7,5 days - roughly one per week, a mean we are very very very proud of! We recently celebrated our 3rd anniversary on an unknown island, now comes our 150th post: it's been a pleasure to share this everyday journey with you all so, well, thanks a lot for following us and un(t)raveling with us! And hopefully, there'll be many many more stories to be told in these columns... For now, let's un(t)ravel Unzen together:

puddles of boiling clay with dozens of "Don't step" signs and "Don't trespass" boards

We came by bus and got there at night, not really knowing where and how to find a decent place to sleep. As we tend to do in such situations, we decided to walk off the village, get far enough in "the woods" to get lost and pitch our tent there for the first night (and look for any better option for the next days). We were lucky enough that there were "woods" to be found everywhere around, right beyond the last house in any direction. And as for us, anytime over 10 minutes into the wilderness is a decent, fair definition of "far enough" at night. Especially in this hell of a place, which might very well have been full of deadly traps, deadly dragons, deadly tar sands, deadly gas leaks and other kinds of deadly things, hidden under every stone and behind every tree. After walking a few minutes along a steep trail in a dense and dark forest, we found an abandoned car park, partially covered with weeds and with a tent at one corner. We picked the corner in the other diagonal and set for dinner and sleep. It was already late then, but we woke up early anyway, packed and hiked back to the village for a hot drink and some fresh food. We were lucky to be in the South of the country, as the autumn was slowly turning into winter and the temperatures were dropping down fast. Looking for the sun during the day, enjoying the luxury of hot clouds and boiling soil, trying the local hot spring boiled eggs with that unique sulfur taste, drinking a lot of coffee with milk and tea: everything was fine as long as it warmed the body just a little bit more and a little bit longer! But there was more:

urged by the locals to take a "classic" souvenir pic: "You here, good. You smile."

the real deal, here in Unzen, were the natural hot spring baths, aka onsen. If this village gave its name to the very concept of having natural hot spring baths, they had to know a lot about that! Well, at least and with no doubt, the area's defect settings included an intense geothermal activity, with natural hot water coming from deep underground, spitting and squirting around about everywhere... Would have be difficult for them to justify that they actually did nothing more with it than hard-boiling eggs and dead-boiling christians. Sorry, I admit this is not funny and promise to stop making jokes about that. It actually happened between 1627 and 1632, and you can find some boards explaining about this tragedy and a small stone memorial to the Christians' martyrdom somewhere in the middle of the "Hell" mainsite, just about one hundred meters from the main hotels. The increasing influence of the Portuguese christians, converting Japanese people in Kyushu while allegedly trading goods, progressively raised concerns until the Shogun decided to ban the religion and to forbid all Westerners to come and trade in the country. During over 2 centuries, the only contact between Japan and 'the rest of the world' were the Dutch traders, as they accepted, upon landing on Japanese soil, to step on a cross and reject the christian faith. Ah, the Dutch pragmatism in action! They were consequently allowed to settle on a tiny artificial island built in Nagasaki's harbour and that's another story we'll tell you about later on... ;)

But as for today, let's talk about unZen and the art of natural hot spring-ing:

smile to the old man, pay 100 yens, go to the "men" (or "women") section, take your clothes off, pick a locker and... just enjoy the heat!

Alright: the village is literally full of hotels, which come in a wide range of prices and a wider variety of styles. Basically, there are diversely expensive hotels, available in both Japanese-style and Western-style. That's it. Deal with it. With our maximum allocated 'exceptionnal' budget of 40 euros per night for the 2 of us and our supa-strict "get this price or camp" policy, all were waaay too expensive anyway and camping was the option. As we learnt, each hotel had its onsen, which was open to non-residents but again, out of our budget. It may sound like cheap, but (i) at this point of our adventure, we've spent two and a half months in Japan already and we're not even broke yet, and (ii) the cheapest option, both on the Transsiberian and around here, happened to be the most fun (how could we know?)

desert public onsen with a 1 euro fee: luxury is INDEED a very relative concept!

As far as we could find, there were two public onsens in Unzen, plus one at about a 15 minute walk outside the village, but pretty close to the spot we found to camp on the second day. All three costed 100¥ per person** for a single but non time-limited access. Our strategy was to get a nice long session in the late morning, that would keep us warm most of the afternoon and allow a cold lunch of onigiris and fruit. We then had to stay around town until it was dark, get another nice, long session of onsen in the evening, then hike to our secret campsite, have a quick noodle soup dinner and get inside the sleeping bags while our bodies were still hot from the spring water. And it actually worked wonders! An hour spent immerged in water at about 40 or 42 ºC raises your body temperature quite a bit over regular and the feeling lasts a good couple of hours - which was more than enough to hike a short 10 minutes through the woods to a lovely little pond nearby: a perfect invitation to a quiet living in harmony with nature, there was un petit je ne sais quoi de Walden to it. Passed the tiny country hotel with the mandatory beach and pedal boats on the shore - fortunately closed for the winter season, we just walked another 5 minutes in the woods to an abandoned/closed campsite whose facilities were locked and all water turned off, but with little wooden decks raised a foot above the floor and individual firepits and tables. We discovered the place on our second day in Unzen and decided to (very respectfully) use and abuse of one raised wooden deck and its firepit, for both comfort, safety and so as not to leave any trace after ourselves. We picked one spot that got the first morning sun, protected from the night wind by a couple of large firs during our 3 days around Unzen, we packed every morning but hid our stuff under a nearby tree - to hang around town with nothing but a light daypack containing our towels, a laptop for some public library internet surfing and some supplies. Just superb!

a Japanese interpretation of the Walden pond + a #13 with ideal orientation and no negative connotations = a perfect spot to camp!

We spent 3 lovely and very quiet days in Unzen, invented a smart and comfy routine to resist the increasing cold and finally decided we needed to get back down to the seaside to gain a few degrees. On the sunny morning of the fourth day, we put our bags on our backs and took the narrow little road heading West and down, thumbs up just in case and happy to discover what life had in mind for us... After about an hour walking along the road, a rusty and dusty Toyota pulled and took us onboard, driving us for a short while and dropping us to the seafront boulevard of another 'Mouth of hell', a lovely little coastal town famous for its hot springs (again) and proud of having the longest footspa in the world. How cool and worldly is that? Surprisingly enough, this little coastal town you probably never heard off (and will never again hear off) was called... Obama. Yes, Obama. Like the very fresh, latest ex-POTUS.

'Mouth of hell' like in: "everywhere around, there's vapor and this sulfurous fart smell"...

This is gonna be the next episode and our post #151!

take care and love to all,

W. & F.

___________________________

* about Unzen's "Hell": where (mostly Portuguese but not only) christians used to be boiled alive in natural hot springs back then - a tradition that was long abandoned. The chrisitans were replaced by eggs, which not only is socially and morally more acceptable, but also represents a substantial source of income for the local, as the thousands of tourists pay for them and eat them with great pleasure...

** about the yen's rate: during the 3 months we spent in Japan, the yen was ridiculously high and strong. It oscilated between 105 and 120 yens for 1 euro, which made it even tougher for Westerners to travel the country on a tight budget. Nevertheless, 1 euro for a steamin' hot bath tub and pool, free tea, shower and sauna isn't something you can really conceive when you come from Europe! Luxury is a relative, cultural concept...

day-trippin' around Kyotango

Upon leaving Kumihama and Atsushi-san's family (on our way to Kyoto's famous fall festival, the gorgeous Jidai Matsuri, aka Festival of the Ages) and before heading South to Fukuoka to explore Kyushu island), we decided to take an extra day on our -tight- schedule to go on a trip around the whole Kyotango peninsula. It was supposedly a lovely area and a fun thing to do, we wanted to see the wilderness of the coastline and were lured by some famous sightseeings and local (rocky!) curiosities...

about to get on one of Japan's many groovy, vintage or retro-looking, local trains!

Wallis also wanted Futuna to see Amanohashidate, the bridge in the sky, or the dragon in the sea: a three-kilometer long, narrow strip of sand covered in pine trees jumping across the Miyazu bay. The dragon's bridge sitting on the dock of the sky is allegedly one of Japan's three (or was it five?) most iconic views, many many many people embark on a round-trip from Kyoto just to see (sorry!) take a picture (oops!) make a selfie with it in the background... Here is, then, a practical and factual - or so do we hope - report with all the information you need and a bit of inspiration to take this nice 1- or 2-day excursion as we did, or differently! We especially recommend it for the Kumihama Helpxers and AirBnb guests who'd like to see around without a car. There are several direct train options to get to Amanohashidate and the famous Nariai-ji temple, but provided you have the time (and don't mind spending hours contemplating beautiful landscapes with nothing more to do than just exactly this), the full trip around Kyotango is not only worth it: it also has material for your eyes to be extended to a 2- or even 3-day trip, sleeping anywhere along the way or reaching Fukuchiyama. Okay, enough introduction, let's get to the point and start the adventure:

1. from Kumihama or Shotenkyo stations: (maybe Atsushi-san will be able to drop you there, or you can (hitch-)hike there or ride and lock the bicycles at the station until you come back - getting on the train and buses with your bikes might be possible and fun, but I wouldn't try that before checking AND making sure it's allowed. Anyway, take an early Kyotango local train bound to Amino and change there for a local bus to Tate Iwa (= “standing rock”). Walk straight off the station and you'll find a bus stop immediately on your left. The waiting time is about 20 minutes and there are several buses, so before jumping on one, check with the driver it’s actually bound to Tate Iwa. The trip to Tate Iwa is quiet and you'll spend most of your time looking at the coast throughout the window.

Tate Iwa, aka the standing rock: panoramically yours ; with a happy, hippie and grassy foreground ; from a distance ; with the desert island mode on.

2. Tate Iwa standing rock: as the driver should remember your question, you're pretty sure not to miss the stop, but it's a tiny village by the sea and you wouldn't imagine that's where you're headed! The interest is on the beach, East of the village. A beautiful and picturesque basaltic rock formation, surrounded by more cliffs and raw beaches. On each side of the little bridge, you'll find some (open) bathrooms and a campsite just minutes from the rock, which could work great for a night as long as you have minimum camping gear. There's mosquitoes and not much more, but the place is nice and clean enough. Well, "clean" must depend on the weather and currents, because that day, the beach wore a thin layer of plastic and fishing trash marking the highest tide. Just at the bus stop is a restaurant (could be a hotel too?) but it was closed the day we were there. Buses pass every hour-and-a-half or so, so you'd better check it upon arrival and make sure not to miss the one you intend to hop on!

the super-busy Kyotango local bus: pick a seat and enjoy the ride ; the issue is NOT with monkeys but with wasps! ; our bus at its un-bus-stop. 

3. Kyogamisaki lighthouse: from Tate Iwa, it's difficult to get lost as you'll follow the same bus line until the terminus, that is: the Kyogamisaki lighthouse itself! Facing uphill from the bus stop, take the only secondary road (on the left) at the corner of a dirt car park. You'll walk about 1,4 km (less than a mile) up and down along this road to the viewpoint and lighthouse. You may be passed by some cars and coaches, be careful and make yourself seen because the road is narrow and some curves sharp. Except for the trails going to the lighthouse and to a higher viewpoint, there is honestly not much to do there. Again: it'll satisfy the contemplative ones.

the ragged coast and open sea from the lighthouse viewpoint. end of the road!

This said, the coast is beautiful and wild, the air fresh and the next bus is one-and-a-half to two hours later. Check it upon arrival and again, don't miss it. You'll have a chance to hitch-hike, but it could make the trip much longer... If you've taken food with you, it's time for a snack. Else, it's time to pity yourselves. We hid our backpacks in the bushes by the bus stop so we wouldn't have to carry them around, but if you take them with you, a bivouac night at the viewpoint or close to the lighthouse could be nice and nobody should ever bother you... Your bus will be waiting on the other side of the road almost one hour before the schedule, but they won't let you on anyway, as you're supposed to get on at the actual bus stop, on your side of the road and at the exact time. As a general rule, don't try and get off the established procedures in Japan, neither because you think your point is logical or fair, nor because you think it's just easier your way! Westerners sometimes have a (probably well-earned) reputation of compulsive trespassers and one of the most famous kotowazas (諺) says deru kugi wa utareru, "the nail that sticks out is hammered down". Which can be understood not only as "keep your head low or society will take care of it for you", but also as "any initiative will be pointed at (and public shaming will do the rest)".

4. To Amanohashidate: the bus will take you all around the Kyotango coastline, with its ragged cliffs and remote fishermen villages. Again, you won't get lost as it is the terminus. You may want to stop in Ine, famous for its fishermen funaya houses. Funaya inn is your option to spend a night there, google it! The ride is pleasant and if you do that on the same day, you get there early in the afternoon (around 3 pm), with still plenty if time to enjoy Amanohashidate.

fishermen village ; funaya houses ; water and more water ; not-so-traditional condo ; island and birds ; one of the many spoilers along the way!

5. Before Amanohashidate: you can cross the bay on the iconic narrow strip of sand covered with pines, but since you arrive from the North, just ask the bus driver to drop you at the cable-car stop. In Japanese English, it sounds something like caiburu caru. Don't worry about making a whole sentence: caiburu caru and a bright smile should work ; kurasai? at the end of anything makes a decent "this thing I just mentioned, please?" and arigato gosaimasu is a "thank you very much" with quite a broad spectrum. The bus will leave you at the last stop before Amanohashidate, on the opposite side of the Miyazu bay. At the foot of the cable-car, 50 meters from where the tourists catch the ferries, there’s a cheap supermarket for your lunch or snack! You can take the steep hike to the Nariai-ji temple (we didn't even try with our full backpacks and the heat, even though the view from there is stunning and this Kan'non temple is said to be beautiful), or you can simply walk across the bay on the most heavenly, perfect and balanced sandy bridge ever...

cruising (in slomo) along the piny crest of the sandy dragon across the golden bay...

The 2.4 km of absolutely flat trail shouldn't take you more than one hour including your picture and beach stops. Of course, you may want to dip in the sea at any point: apparently it's admissible/tolerated/allowed (tick the right box). Finally, there’s a cable car/funicular on each side to go see the views from above and look backwards from between your legs to actually see the bridge in the sky... Several boat tours on the bay, including speed boats, will fulfill the needs of the horsepowaholics.

6. Once you reach the other side (Amanohashidate): there are a couple of temples, shops and bars on the way to the train station just minutes away from the bridge. Everything looked pretty touristy and expensive, so we didn't spend a lot of time "in town", but took a nice nap by the temple.

7. From Amanohashidate train station: you can take a direct train either back to Amino, then to Shotenkyo and Kumihama, or to Fukuchiyama and Kyoto (what we did, but that story may not be suitable for all audiences...). And of course, if you’re lazy or don't have time to take the whole local bus tour around the peninsula (which is really great if you enjoy day dreaming while looking throughout the window, but we can think of friends of ours who'd find that boring to death!), well you can always take a round trip with the direct train: Kumihama/Shotenkyo to Amanohashidate and back. Pack a lunch or buy your cheap bento at the supermarket just opposite the caiburu caru parking lot and you’re ready to go! By the way, with the food being rather expensive in Japan, this is a #GreatTraveler'sTip: most supermarkets sell fresh sushi, sashimi, salads and bentos everyday, whose shelf-life is of a few hours. It means they start to discount some progressively as the day passes. After 6pm, you're sure to find yummy raw fish, grilled meat, vegetables, rice currys, udons and such with a 20 or 30 % off. Unlike what we do "at home", in Japan we usually had light breakfast and lunch and made sure to reach dinner hungry, celebrating it with solemn gratefulness every evening!

clouds over Miyazu bay ; bird theory ; bird practice ; panoramashidate ; holy hand fans ; pine in b&w ; late ride on a Wong Kar Train.

8. Talking in silver (aka the costs): Kumihama to Amino: 290 yens ; Amino to Tate Iwa: 200 yens ; Tate Iwa to Kyogamisaki: 200 yens ; Kyogamisaki to Amanohashidate: 200 yens (on local train and buses). Amanohashidate-Shotenkyo direct trains: between 850 and 1100 yens (regular vs. express).
Total = 1800-2000 yens per person approximately for the round trip. Our food and water for the excursion were as cheap as another 1500 yens for the two of us, dodging the "local" restaurants for tourists.

And as a special bonus only for the brave, another #GreatTraveler'sTip: check the amazing website www.hyperdia.com for all your Japanese train timetables, schedules, platform changes and fares! It's unbelievable how complex the Japanese train network is and how hyperdia makes it easy (obviously, the site is absolutely free and we're not endorsed at all, not by them and to the date, not by anyone else than ourselves!). Just type in your departure and arrival stations and it'll suggest ALL the possible options, from super express deluxe shinkansens to the crappiest, slowest, most local countryside trains. There's a series of boxes you can tick/untick, allowing you to swap the expensive options (including the limited express that has a special fare) and pick among the super slow super long super authentic super cheap ones... Whatever your budget is, if there's a train for you, it's there!

Voilà, if you go there, let us know what you thought and how you liked it.
And if you happen to be staying at Atsushi-san's, say hello and send kisses from us to the whole family!

une mosaï-storique de 11 siècles, 2 heures et 5 kilomètres

Tous les 22 octobre - date anniversaire de son établissement comme capitale - la ville de Kyoto célèbre l'un de ses trois principaux festivals: le Jidai Matsuri (時代祭, "festival des âges"). Il s'agit d'une imposante (et interminable!) procession qui circule à travers le centre depuis le Palais Impérial jusqu'au sanctuaire shinto de Heian Ginju., établi en même temps que ce matsuri et responsable de son organisation.

deux des près de deux mille protagonistes du Jidai Matsuri de Kyoto!

Ce 22-ci ne faisait pas exception à la règle et le hasard (un peu aidé, il faut le dire, par la génétique flamande et le sens inné de l'organisation/planification de Wallis) a voulu que l'on débarque en début de matinée d'une escapade autour de la péninsule de Kyotango - dont on reparlera bientôt, c'est promis - à la gare centrale. Prises d'assaut par des milliers de touristes, curieux, fidèles et enthousiastes, eux aussi attirés par cet événement-clef de la vie culturelle et spirituelle de Kyoto, les rangées de casiers de consigne (aussi imposantes et interminables que le Jidai Matsuri lui-même) nous ont fait tourner en rond et en bourrique pendant environ quarante minutes avant de tomber, comme par miracle, sur un couple sur le départ qui libérait le sien (de casier). Faut dire que la compétition était âpre et que les places étaient plus chères que sur le parking du Guinardó après 19 heures. Mais ouf, ça c'était fait! Sac à dos déposés, on était donc prêts à aller voir le défilé (et peut-être aussi à se faire engueuler, mais on connait la chanson et nous la fait pas...).

Bref. Le Jidai Matsuri récapitule plus de onze siècles d'histoire de la ville au travers des costumes de quelque deux mille participants, qui représentent - à rebrousse-temps - les époques, règnes et figures emblématiques de l'histoire du Japon et de son ancienne capitale. Elle débute donc avec les personnages de la restauration Meiji qui marqua, en 1868, l'avénement de Tokyo et la fin du règne de Kyoto sur le Japon, puis continue au rythme de la procession, jusqu'au début de l'ère Heian en 781. Au milieu de la foule nombreuse ("elle appuie de tout son poids, mais la foule est courtoise", dirait Thomas Fersen), on a assisté patients et bouche bée au défilé et on serait bien incapables de vous en dire plus sur les différents costumes et personnages, faute de documentation. Wikipedia vous fournira tous les détails dont vous pourriez rêver, voire plus... On se contentera de quelques images représentatives, parmi lesquelles les curieux sauront reconnaître quelques éléments majeurs et points forts de la procession. Une mosaïque surtout pour le plaisir des yeux, donc, à consommer sans modération:

Et voilà! Sauf erreur de notre part, il n'y en a aucun de répété, même si on n'est jamais à l'abri d'un copier-coller malencontreux. Ils sont dans l'ensemble presque dans leur ordre de passage, donc anti-chronologique. On a pris la liberté d'en déplacer seulement quelques-uns pour des critères eshétiques et d'équilibre de la mosaïque: ils nous le pardonneront, les historiens rigoureux aussi et vous de même; enfin, on espère. Le(s)quel(s) préférez-vous, ou vous impressionne(nt) le plus?

Plein de bises depuis Kagoshima, Kyushu (et oui: le temps passe, on se déplace et l'automne s'installe ici au sud du sud du Japon, même s'il nous laisse pour l'instant pas mal de répit...)!