A bit of Japanese culture; past and present.

I’ve been spending a fair bit of time up in Fukuoka recently, and with that came an opportunity I’d never heard about before. For the past few years, Kohei’s mum has been volunteering at the Nagasaki Kaido Event in Kokura.

This event sees participants walking parts of the old highway that stretches all the way from Kokura to Nagasaki, a grand 223km. Back in the Edo period, numerous goods were transported along this road to Dejima, Nagasaki, the only centre for overseas trade at the time.
Using the sugar transported along the highway, a confectionary culture grew alongside it, leading to the popular name ‘Sugar Road’.

We were tasked with serving zenzai (a sweet red bean soup with mochi) and other refreshments to the participants on one of the shorter courses. I had such a fun day and it was super entertaining to see people’s confusion upon realising there was a foreigner there. 

My old barista nature definitely kicked in when the waves of people arrived, and I got accustomed to the sticky fingers from the soup by the end of the day. I also got a picture with some super high up guy at one of the biggest department stores in that area, and definitely befriended his wife. Kohei on the other hand, befriended a little dog named Happy. 

Since Kohei’s mum is always so busy with work, it was one of the first times I’ve been able to spend some quality time with her outside of the apartment. Don’t get me wrong, I love our late night chats about cultural differences, but I love our matching Hawaiian aprons more. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet some of her friends lately, so I really feel like my Fukuoka family is growing little by little.

The night before I went to see One Ok Rock in Fukuoka. They’re my favourite Japanese band and despite seeing them three years ago in Manchester, I’ve always wanted to see them play on their home turf. I have to say, I’ve never felt so culturally out of place in my life; at every moment I’d usually be loud, the Japanese crowd was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. 

I’m thankful Kohei didn’t join in with the choreographed head banging and fist bumping… that being our first concert together could have been a deal breaker! Needless to say I still had a wonderful time as always, and the atmosphere was so much more emotional being one of the last tour dates in Japan for that album.  I’ve already booked tickets to see them again at Summer Sonic, a festival in Osaka which is serving as this year’s reunion with my bestie, Haruka. Looks like I've got a few months to get my Japanese rock concert etiquette on point.

花見

In a blink of an eye, this year’s cherry blossom in Kumamoto has disappeared, almost as fast as it bloomed. There’s something I find so visually compelling during this season, when for around two weeks, the places you know so well suddenly transform into bustling havens of white and blush pink.

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This year the season was a little earlier, and quite frankly stunning. Apologies to my parents who came all the way to Japan last year to catch a pretty mediocre bloom… looks like they’ll just have to come back another time. Days spent chasing the smallest buds around the country last year were replaced with glorious blossoms scattered everywhere throughout spring break.

I’m lucky to work so close to Kumamoto Castle this time of year, meaning I could fully enjoy the sakura on my lunch break. Nothing beats visiting some small food stalls alongside the river, to sit and watch the wind blow the delicate petals around you. 

I took an evening trip to Honmyoji Temple with Kohei too. We watched the sunset, but I also experienced yozakura (night time cherry blossom viewing) for the first time. The sakura was stunning in a completely different way, almost glowing in the moonlight. It’s a shame that this season is so fleeting, but that’s part of the magic.

I did hanami (flower viewing) whenever I could, spending most of my days or afternoons off visiting the castle grounds. Usually complete with a makeshift picnic blanket and lots of alcohol. The castle restoration is showing signs of progress, with 7200 tiles recently replacing the roof, allowing the temporary cover to be removed. 

I think the blooming sakura is somewhat representative of the resilience of Kumamoto and its people.  Although it may be delicate, it brings people together through tough times and keeps coming back. In this year’s case, brighter and more abundant than before.

Kurokawa Onsen

After visiting Oita last year, I’ve become a serious lover of relaxing weekends away in onsen towns. Kurokawa is one of the most famous onsen areas in Kumamoto, and for the past few months, every evening the river has been covered in hundreds of bamboo lanterns. Of course Kohei and I decided to head there for what is now becoming our annual onsen trip.

Despite having a few issues getting there, which is a given since I don’t know the ever changing road closures that well, once we arrived it was like we’d entered a little area of tranquility. Since this event was so popular, the main streets were super busy when we arrived; full of tourists who were only doing a day trip here, as many people do. 

A famous bakery, Patisierre Roku, makes the most beautiful choux creams; the vanilla smell wafted through the air every hour when the buns were cooked, and the queue was ridiculously long but worth it. Another gem we found was Shiratamakko, a small café specialising in traditional desserts; a must visit if you’re a fan of matcha, fluffy mochi in zenzai and super sweet ichigo daifuku. Most of the local stores close earlier, around 8pm, as most people staying in the ryokans overnight have dinner provided. We spent the early evening relaxing in yukata, before being treated to yet another amazing ryokan banquet. 

After dinner, we took our first onsen of the evening in the smaller baths located inside the ryokan. Kohei and I had planned to meet about 40 minutes later, but my god, I’ve never been in water so hot in my life. I instantly looked like a lobster, and so did he when we met in the corridor earlier than expected because we both couldn’t hack it.

After the onsen we got dressed in our yukata again and headed to view the illuminations. They were so beautiful and it was super tranquil. The only thing ruining it was, since it was the last weekend of the illuminations, too many people were ruining the aesthetic with their car headlights and pushing to take photos. This is often a downside to things like this in Japan… too many people end up ruining a beautiful moment, but thankfully Kohei and I managed to find an area a little quieter to enjoy it.

After enjoying some umeshu at a little hole in the wall bar, we headed back to the ryokan. The best thing about Japanese people liking to bathe before bed is that after waiting until later in the evening, Kohei and I managed to get the entire family size onsen to ourselves. Cue Kohei acting like a happy child floating away to his hearts content. Even better, I didn’t (literally) burn my ass off this time.

I’d definitely recommend an onsen getaway to anyone who needs to refresh themselves. The simplicity of the ryokan, and the peaceful locations really give you the opportunity to switch yourself off from the outside world. We’re already planning our next trip and may even make it a bi-yearly tradition from now on. 

During our drive home we also got some beautiful views of the Aso area from the recently reopened Milk Road. It made me realize how there’s still so much to discover even in my own prefecture, prompting another trip idea that will hopefully come to light in the next few months.