Golden Week (Part 6): Kumamoto Prefecture

Thursday, May 1
Happy Birthday to Kristine! I consider myself a lucky girl, having had an entire week to celebrate. That being said, the weather made the day a bit yuck by raining horribly and keeping my birthday dress hidden beneath my coat.

Chris and I checked out of the Nagasaki hotel a bit later than planned, having made a last-minute stop at Bunmeido for omiyage. We crawled through heavy traffic before reaching the ferry that would carry us across the water to Kumamoto Prefecture.

I worried that I would feel seasick, but the ride was a mere thirty minutes long. We parked our car below deck and chilled in the upstairs waiting room on a comfy couch.

For my birthday cake, we had カステラ巻き (rolled castella), recommended by Jamie. This version of the treat doesn't keep long, and we bought a mere two pieces for ourselves. The brown stripes you see above at the top and bottom of the yellow are crunchy crystals of sugar rolled between the spongy cake!

Upon arrival in Kumamoto, we drove to the famous 熊本城 (Kumamoto Castle)! The rain didn't allow us much of a chance to enjoy the jet-black exterior. Thankfully, the interior, with its displays on castle history, offered a bit of shelter. 熊本城 is a major tourist attraction within the prefecture, but I'm playing loyal to Hyogo; Himeji Castle is far more beautiful.

Admittedly, the mascot is a cutie. (He's saying, "Kumamoto Castle is 400 years old!") Doesn't every famous location need a mascot? I'll miss this part of Japan.

Outside the castle, I bought a charm of Hello Kitty's head squished into the castle; her body hangs out below. I also bought two manju, which warmed my hands for the moment, but tasted none too delicious. The texture reminded me of shumai, only the filling sweet and not meat.

From the castle, we drove to the former home of writer Natsume Soseki, who lived in Kumamoto for a period of time.

A model of the author, with the cat who perhaps inspired his feline-narrated novel I Am a Cat.

Drafts of several works were on display, including Botchan and my favorite, Kokoro.

Despite the rain, we next visited 水前寺公園 (Suizenji Park). The grounds were relatively empty thanks to the ugly weather and our late arrival time. The wealthy and powerful Hosokawa family commissioned the park, modeled after the sights along the Tokaido, the historical road that connected Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto. Besides Mount Fuji, I couldn't identify many landmarks, and aside from my pleasure with the diving water fowl, Chris and I focused on shooting umbrella model pictures.

Quite pretty, just a bit wet.

You can stand under my umbrella-ella-ella.
(Couldn't resist.)

Magic water for drinking!

Mount Fuji, in representative form.

Not having much else to see in Kumamoto, we took the expressway to Kagoshima Prefecture, the prefecture furthest south in Kyushu. Along the way, the landscape took on a mystical appearance that, being a poor photographer, I couldn't capture on camera. Perhaps the haunting quality was brought on by the wet weather? Clouds and fog hovered thickly around the mountain, perched atop the trees, wove between cars. The setting sun at turns peeked out and hid behind the cover.

My birthday dinner, eaten at a brand-new expressway stop. Udon and tempura are essentially Japanese fast food, but with my socks and shoes soaked, my coat wrapped tightly around my body, the warm noodles were a perfect meal.

After arriving at our hotel in Kagoshima, Chris offered to treat me to a nicer dinner, but I was wet and exhausted and only wanted a hot bath and sleep. Thus ended my twenty-fourth birthday. I feel pretty old, but my parents must feel even older!