KAGOSHIMA, KYUSHU

Thanks to its discount airline, Peach Air, Japan is making it a lot easier (and cheaper) to travel domestically.  For a paltry $80, I secured a round-trip ticket to Kyushu, the second most southern island in the archipelago.  And because it's Japan, even the cheapest airline (like Peach) is far and above the standards of most major US companies.  Clean!  Efficient!  Plenty of leg room!  Reasonably-sized overhead bins!  It made a United flight feel like a dingy tin can.

Still, there were some surprises.  For one thing, I was never asked to present my ID, not at check in or at security, or even at the gate.  I wasn't required to remove my shoes while going through security.  Liquids of any size were permitted.  Maybe this should have made me feel good.  Here I was, able to bring a six pack of beer on board if I so chose!  However, instead of feeling rebellious or free, I felt slightly anxious.  It's a sad fact that the post-9/11 travel restrictions have conditioned us so that just the thought of full-sized toiletries in one's carry-on is a source of panic.

I landed in Kagoshima, a city in the south of Kyushu.  Kagoshima is fairly unremarkable-looking. With the exception of Tokyo and Hiroshima, most Japanese cities look exactly the same: ugly concrete boxes spread across the landscape, displaying very little architectural or artistic character, much less taste.  A study of the city map left me wishing I knew more about Japanese history and the Meiji restoration, particularly some guy named Saigo, to whom statues were erected everywhere.  Other points on the map were labeled things like "Place of Saigo's birth," "Cave where Saigo hid," "Place of Saigo's death," and "Saigo ate lunch here."

In addition to its contributions to Japanese history, Kagoshima is famous for: radishes, onsen, an active volcano, and kurobuta (black pork).  It is also the place where St. Francis Xavier arrived in 1549 and began the spread of Christianity throughout Japan.  However, Kagoshima's greatest claim to fame may be that it is the sister city of Miami, FL.  Alas, there was no one selling cortados and Cuban sandwiches in the area, so clearly the two need to work on their cultural exchange.

I want to chronicle the many wonders of Kagoshima I experienced, and I want to start with ramen.  If you think ramen is dried noodles in a cup (as I once did) eaten by the poor or cooking-challenged, you are missing out on one of the great Japanese dishes.  Ramen is kind of the Japanese soup equivalent of pizza in America: relatively cheap, tasty, and unique to different regions.  Kagoshima ramen is the best I've tasted thus far.  Filled with tender, braised black pork, egg noodles, mushrooms, scallions and fried garlic, this is comfort food at its best.  I sought its comfort twice in the four days I was there, and was never disappointed.

American ramen: a travesty.  From: http://freshthemagazine.com

Kagoshima ramen

Kagoshima also offers a unique onsen experience: being buried in hot volcanic sand by the sea.  I made the 1.5 hr trek out to the infamous sand bath locale, Ibusuki.  $10 got me a thin cotton robe and a small towel, and I was ushered into the women's changing room (with heated wooden floors) to strip down, don my yukata, and head out to the sea.  As I exited for the sand baths, I caught sight of a sign that said, "Take care the burns."  The sand is supposed to be marvelous for many reasons, which I think are best summed up by the local brochure:

Nowadays, there are various stresses that break the balance of the human body and can lead to sickness.  According to recent research, it is found that stress weakens the immunity. Which means the human body sickness is caused from the sick heart.  This is why it is very important for people to allow their heart to rest.  The hot spring will comfort the heart, mind, and soul by all means of "Hot Spring."

Sand Bath- Effect

Sand bath is effective for relieving the following: NEURALGIA, RHEUMATISM, LUMBAGO, ARTHRITIS, FRACTURES, PARALYTIC SYMPTOMS, AFTER A STROKE, SEQUELA BY A CAR ACCIDENT, BURNING [burns? Why is hot sand good for burns?], WEAK CONSTITUTION CHILD, ATOPY, SKIN DISEASE, PILES [had to look this one up, and then was sorry that I did], ASTHMA, DIABETES, ALIMENTARY DISORDER, IRREGULAR MENSTRUATION, STERILITY, ANAEMIA, SENSITIVITY TO COLD, CONSTIPATION, OVER WEIGHT AND BEAUTY TREATMENT.

When I arrived at the bathing area, attendants in Wellington boots and head towels were preparing the sand by pouring boiling water (perhaps from a local hot spring?) over large quadrants, and then raking it.  There were about ten people (all middle-aged or elderly) already buried, their heads sticking out of the sand.  An attendant quickly dug me a pit, helped me tie a towel around my hair, and then buried me in the sand, telling me that I should get out in 10 minutes.  The sand was nice and warm, and I immediately began to sweat, savoring the thought that I was cleansing myself of toxins.  By minute 10, I still felt pretty good, so I resolved to stay in for another 5 minutes.  I made it, but just barely, eventually feeling a little overwhelmed by the combination of the heat and the heaviness of the sand.

From http://www.japanbiking.com

At minute 15, I quickly popped out and made my way to the regular onsen inside the complex, where I showered and dressed again.  My one regret from the day is that there is no photographic evidence of me buried in the sand.  Ah, the pitfalls of traveling alone.

Next up was Sakurajima, the volcanic island located just a short ferry ride from Kagoshima.  Sakurajima is unique in that it is populated with businesses, schools, post offices, and homes, all surrounding an active volcano, which frequently puffs smoke and blows ash into the air, which covers everything in a gritty film.  In fact, as we waited for the ferry to embark into the placid morning, the volcano soundlessly started spewing smoke in large columns, and kept doing this throughout the day.

Sakurajima

In addition to the views and hiking to be experienced around Sakurajima, the island's other attraction is its dinosaur park.  JK and I walked to the top of a steep hill to find a sprawling park filled with jungle gyms and a myriad of creatures: two brontosauruses, a T-rex, a stegosaurus, a diometrodon, a tiger, two lions, and a panda, which I thought was a particularly nice touch.  Alas, there was no triceratops  Joining us at the park was a group of primary school children, who were sitting docilely on little squares of plastic when we arrived, eating their lunches.  This gave us ample opportunity to play on the equipment while the children were occupied, giggling while we raced around.  However, once the kids started to run amok, I quickly became that person that parents fear, standing in the distance with my camera and take photograph after photograph of them going down slides, hanging off the jungle gyms, and generally being adorable in their little uniforms and hats.

I fulfill a life dream and ride a stegosaurus

JK and I proceeded on our hike of the island, walking through some of the trenches made by falling lava over the years, and generally hoping that the volcano didn't decide to suddenly erupt.  At one point, we stumbled across an area where a famous rock concert had taken place in the early 2000s, drawing thousands of people. There's a statue erected in commemoration.

Concert site.

After several hours of hiking the hot and dusty trails, we made our way to the local foot onsen overlooking the sea, where we submerged our tired feet in the hot mineral water.  I thought JK would cry from happiness.  After about an hour, I dragged a most unwilling JK out of the foot spa and back towards the ferry...and ramen.