Yufuin

There was no WiFi at the last place we stayed, so this final installment is posted from home a little behind time.

Our last stop for this trip was Yufuin, a hot spring town not far from Beppu, in the northeastern part of Kyushu. It is located in a valley under an old volcano so has a good source of geothermal water. I'm not sure of the chemicals that have been added on the water's journey through the earth, but the end result is very pleasing on the skin. After soaking in the waters, my skin felt soft and smooth, quite different from the chlorinated shower water back home.

Our home away from home here was the Tatsumi Ryokan, run by a couple in their eighties. They and their staff were very hospitable. Our room smelled like fresh tatami mats and I felt right at home.

The sign says "Ryokan Tatsumi". There was another smaller sign on the window behind the sculpted tree
that said, "Gangsters not allowed".

This small garden was off to the left in the photo above.

These people are preparing to start a kaiseki dinner.

When we walked through the tourist streets, I was surprised by the number of Chinese and Korean tourists. Many signs in the tourist streets are in four languages, Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese.

This pottery was in a shop window in Yufuin but it is from Onta, another town in Oita Prefecture, not far away, which specializes in making this distinctive style. A few years ago we visited Onta. They still use the old techniques. Grinding (I should say water-powered clay pounding) stations follow the course of a stream down the hillside with workshops and kilns nearby. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Halloween is a relatively new (only really caught on in the past ten years) commercial holiday in Japan.
These children were happy to pose for me.

This is the information building next to the Yufuin train station. Hard to tell from the photo,
but the timbers are all gluelams of five basic patterns, fitted together to support the building.

I was in need of a haircut so stopped at a barbershop not far from our ryokan. She did such
a good job on my hair, I asked if I could come back every month for more.

One day we visited the Usa Jingu (shrine), 45 kilometers away. It is a large and old shrine established in the Wado Era (704-714) and is second only to Ise in prestige in Japan.

This old entrance to the shrine is now closed due to old age.

This new bridge crosses the moat that circles the grounds.

Old lanterns along the path.

Buildings leading up to the main shrine.

Main shrine.

This little girl decked out in kimono and accessories wasn't too happy to pose.

This is a traditional display of sake near the entrance. As I understand it, the various sake makers donate
the kegs (and oversize bottles, below) in return for the publicity.

Across the path from the sake display, I saw this maple displaying some fall color.

This poster asks for volunteers (like the ones installing the new roof shingles) and giving
people the opportunity to donate in return for a small (3,000 yen ($27)) or large (5,000 yen ($45))
shingle with their name, to be displayed in the newly roofed building. 

After a wonderful holiday in Japan, enjoying good hot spring water and good food, it was time to head back home. We are looking forward to spending another vacation in Japan but it was time to catch our flights. We were routed from Fukuoka, Japan, to Seoul, Korea, to San Francisco and finally to Seattle, where we arrived tired but happy to be home.