Soba with a volcano view

I’ve never spent much time in the Aso region, mainly due to many failed attempts to see Mt. Aso during my first year. The road closures and difficulty in finding routes not affected by the earthquake a few months prior, meant I’d given up trying. That was until Olivia suggested a day out to Minami Aso; only an hour away from my house and surprisingly easy to get to, since you avoid a lot of the roads that were damaged.

We visited Kugino Soba Dojo, where we learnt how to make our own soba noodles from scratch. The experience was pretty easy to follow, with little obaachans (old ladies) first placing the ingredients in front of us and giving us time to take in the instructions they’d provided. Interesting fact: they strictly use buckwheat and Japanese yam produced right there in Minami Aso.

After a quick demo for each stage of the process, we were allowed to have a go, before the old lady did a cheeky check to make sure our noodles would actually turn into something edible. I was surprised by how dry the dough was and how quickly it all came together. There’s also a specific way to roll out the dough to maintain a consistent thickness, something which I’ll definitely be applying to my baking from now on. Once the dough was folded, it was time to get onto cutting, something Olivia and I weren’t too bad at.

At the centre you can choose to take your noodles home with you, or have them prepared there. I’d highly recommend that option, as we had more than enough left over to take home too. We got both a hot and cold set to try, which included onigiri and pickles.

It only costs ¥2,300 for one person for the materials, which makes four servings of soba! At only ¥2,800 for the two of us, we got to make soba, fill ourselves silly at lunch time, and I even had lunch for the next two days sorted.

If language barrier is a concern for you, I wouldn’t worry at all. All of the staff we spoke to at Kugino Soba Dojo were super friendly and seemed thrilled to have some foreigners there. The day was relaxed and fun filled, with us going to three great locations.

Afterwards we headed to the source of the Shirakawa River, where you can see it bubbling out of the ground. After taking a sip and having a paddle (of course I almost fell in), we headed to a soft cream stall where I had the most delicious kiwi soft cream. Take note if you every want a romantic date near Aso.

Art Aquarium

After returning from Hong Kong, Kohei and I made a visit to the Art Aquarium on the 9^th floor of Hakata Station. The exhibition was only running for a short time, and it’s the first time it’s returned to Fukuoka in two years. The aquatic exhibition, created by artist Kimura Hidetomo, is based around 和, meaning both peace and Japan, along with the culture surrounding goldfish (kingyo) in Japan that has been around since the Edo period. 

Andonrium - small tanks covered in lace, creating shadows designed to enhance the natural beauty of the goldfish inside. These are based on andon, a lamp made from paper stretched over a bamboo, wood or metal frame; most commonly in a box shape with an inner stand for a small light.

Bonborium – tanks modelled on the traditional Japanese paper lanterns, bonbori, most commonly seen out in the open.

Super Oiran – undoubtedly the most impressive tank and focal point of the entire exhibition. Holding 3,000 goldfish, it was created to commemorate the 10^th anniversary. 

Temaririum – spherical tanks designed to mimic the traditional toy temari. Each was wrapped with colourful patterns of the braiding craft iga-kumihimo, which is an iconic characteristic of temari.

Prisrium F.12 and F.18 – two large 12 and 18 sided polyhedron tanks resembling diamonds. Each allowed the fish to be seen as sometimes big, small or even crooked, with light slowly diffusing around them. 

Show of Kingyo – Currently main stream aquarium tanks are viewed from the side, but traditionally kingyo was looked at from above. The lack of air bubbles or waves on the surface of the water enhanced the ability for people to appreciate the beauty of the fish inside the circular tank.

Kutani Goldfish Exhibition – the first appearance of this installation in Kyushu. Fish swam inside traditional Kutani porcelain which was adorned with goldfish designs, using the three foundational techniques of the art form: Kutani blue, akae red and hanatsue pink.

 

Kirikorium – cut glass technology, Edo-kiriko, combined with the modern craftwork of acrylic.

Tokogake Goldfish Ornament – an aquarium designed to imitate a hanging scroll. Black goldfish swam across the painting, alongside projections flowing with the movements and likenesses of the living goldfish. The inspiration comes from the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic, describing beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent and incomplete”.

Tamaterium – inspired by the folk tale Urashima Taro, in which a fisherman receives a parting gift in the form of a tamatebako (jewelled box) from a mistress of the sea. The luxury tank is decorated using gold leaf foil techniques in 24 karat gold.

The goldfish are used as performers in a sense, and this combined with music, lighting, projections and abstract tank designs, creates a truly unique exhibition unlike any I’ve experienced before. Each area differs slightly in its design, and goldfish varieties are in abundance. 

Despite going on probably the busiest weekend of the year, it had such a magical atmosphere. In the evening, the exhibition transformed into a Night Aquarium, a more adult setting providing cocktails and live music performances; something I hope to experience if the Art Aquarium returns to Kyushu in the future.

Dim sum & the 'ding ding'

During Golden Week I decided to take Kohei on a (very early) birthday trip to Hong Kong. I was super sneaky the night we arrived, and managed to hide any glimpse of the infamous skyline until we visited The Peak. His face was priceless when he saw the lights emerging through the trees while we were riding the tram up the mountain, so ultimately, I think all of my “get your arse into gear, we need to get there before sunset” rants were worth it.

It’s been six years since I went there myself and I didn’t get much of a chance to explore back then, so it was very much like the first time visiting for the both of us. Kohei’s favourite film, that he recently introduced me to, is Forrest Gump, so I couldn’t not take him to Bubba Gump’s while we were there too.

I managed to help him tick off a number of tourist musts – taking the Star Ferry, eating egg waffles, riding the ‘ding ding’, and indulging in a traditional brekkie of macaroni soup. We spent most of our days going wherever the wind took us, all around the city; Sheung Wan, Central, Causeway Bay, North Point, Mongkok, TST and Lan Kwai Fong.

Hong Kong was seemingly having a Kumamoto ALT reunion that week, which none of us were aware of when we booked our flights. We spent one evening with Chloe, Devin, Tiago and Thomas drinking at eyebar, a rooftop bar 30 floors high that looks over Victoria Harbour. We didn’t let the wind and rain dampen our spirits, even if they did saturate our clothes. 

Another evening we met Bilal and Olivia for hotpot, which was an experience in itself. Zero English, food being thrown at us and we all collectively had no idea what was going on. Afterwards we headed to Mongkok to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the markets. Not to mention, introduce them to the joys of the hot drips of water that land on you from the apartment air cons.

Corane and Emily, two of my friends from the exchange programme I did in high school, were the best hosts I could have asked for. They took time out of their busy schedules to meet Kohei and me for the most authentic local lunch ever. We went to a food centre in Sheung Wan, sat on plastic tables and ordered amazing dim sum with the locals. I think Kohei thought he’d died and gone to heaven.

On our final day we ventured into the New Territories together, and after a slightly failed trip to the Mai Po Nature reserve, we instead walked for a little through marshes and farmland all whilst seeing the skyline of Shenzhen in the distance. 

We then headed to the small village of Ho Sheung Heung and treated ourselves to the most delicious soy milk and tofu pudding made by a local company. We also tried some street food outside of the station, steamed red bean pudding on a stick, and some magical coconut sugar thing that I can’t even explain. Sheung Shui station is a sight to behold in itself… due to its proximity to the Chinese border, the amount of people crossing into Hong Kong to buy huge quantities of goods proves to be an interesting people watching occasion.

That evening I met up with more of my friends from exchange, and had the most wonderful time catching up over dinner. We even planned a little reunion trip in Japan sometime, although the logistics of that will probably prove to be a nightmare. Afterwards, we all went to eat dessert, something that I enjoy most about Hong Kong. The nights never end and there are endless opportunities to keep the good company together for a few more laughs. 

That’s something I’m grateful for, the fact that 6 years later we can all meet and act like no time has passed. Until next time Hong Kong, you know I’ll be back.