Visiting Hikiyama Exhibition Hall, Karatsu

Last Sunday we had decided to take a drive🚙 to Hikiyama Exhibition Hall in Karatsu, Saga. I've been there many times before, but I'd never been to the exhibition museum, so I decided to go. 

Karatsu Kunchi is a Japanese matsuri festival that takes place between November 2 and 4 every year. On the first night of the festival called Yoiyama, the 14 decorated floats with lanterns for fall🍂 The gold, sliver and red lanterns🏮 are shining brightly with flashes of light⭐

The entrance of museum. I have to pay the 310 yen entrance fee💰 here.

Fourteen floats, called Yama (曳山), are lined up through the glass from the corridors on the first and second floors.

The floats, which have different designs for each area, such as demons and masks, are built between the late Edo and the early Meiji periods and still in existence today😊 

  

Visiting Aoi Aso Shrine, Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto

In the evening, we went to Aoi Aso Jinja (青井阿蘇神社), a Shinto shrine in Hitoyoshi. 

According to Wikipedia, five of the structures within the shrine such as Romon (楼門), Honden (本殿) are listed as National Treasures of Japan.

During the 2020 Kyushu Floods the shrine was flooded, but only parts of the bridge were destroyed.

The Ichi-no-torii gate at the shrine entrance. 

Misogi Bridge (禊橋 -Misogibashi), an arch bridge spanning the Hasuike pond. As I mentioned above, the bridge was collapsed during the flood. It took three years to complete😄

Let's take a walk to the shrine.

Aoi Aso Jinja's Romon (楼門, lit. tower gate).  A thatched roof made of straw during the Azuchi-Momoyama period.

Honden or the main shrine⛩

Visiting Izumi crane sanctuary

On December 10, we had decided to take a drive🚙 to see cranes in Izumi, Kagoshima. 

Every year from mid-October to December, Siberian cranes migrate to Izumi to spend the winter, remaining until around March. Today there are 10000 birds on the migration ground😁

Driving on National Route 3 from Minamata Interchange on Minami-Kyushu Expressway and passing the central Izumi, we came to the crane sanctuary. You need to pay a 1000 yen entrance fee when entering a parking lot💵

A close up view of the birds is like this.

After that we went to different places where cranes are kept🐦 

Visiting Bairin-ji Temple, Kurume

On Wednesday we had decided to take a drive🚙 Bairinji (梅林寺), a Rinzai temple in Kurume, Fukuoka. According to Wikipedia, the temple was the bodaiji of the Arima clan and originally located in Fukuchiyama in the Tanba Province, where it was called Zuigan-ji (瑞巌寺). In 1620, when Arima Toyoji was transferred from Fukuchiyama Domain to Kurume Domain in Chikugo Province, he relocated the temple to his new domain and named it Dairyu-ji (大龍寺). It was later renamed to Bairin-ji which is associated with his father Noriyuki's posthumous name, Bairin'in-den (梅林院殿) and became a mausoleum of the successive daimyo of the domain. 

The entrance gate of Bairin-ji.

Passing the temple gate, then go straight down the sando road to the main hall.

The Zen Hall of Bairin-ji🛕 It is always close because of young monks doing some practice😁 

The Kaizando (開山堂) founder's hall.

After that I went to the cemetery dedicated to the Arima family.

Autumn colors getting started around the garden🍂

The Chikugo River seen from the garden. Before the bridge was open in 1974, there was a ferry boat that connected the river from here to Nagatoishi-machi on the opposite bank. 

Visiting Bungo-Mori Roundhouse, Kusu, Oita

In the afternoon, we had decided to take a drive🚙 to Bungo-Mori Roundhouse Park in Kusu. It was built in 1934 when the Kyudai Main Line was fully opened. 

The loco shed🚂 Located to the east of Bungo-Mori Station🚉, it was a large roundhouse that kept 21 steam locomotives at its peak. 

The engine shed was in use until 1970 and could be up to 12 locomotives. 

A steam locomotive 9600 series used for coal transport in the Kyushu area such as Nagasaki and Karatsu during the working period. He was a brave hero that saved victims of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki👏 After the retirement in 1974, it was kept in Shime, Fukuoka for memories. But such a bad condition that the town council rejected the budget for maintenance repair, and it was waiting to be scrapped. However in 2015, Kusu Town bought for free of charge, and now on display😊     

 

Panoramic views of Kannawa Onsen from Yukemuri Viewpoint, Beppu

On the second day, we went to some sightseeing spots such as Bungo-Mori Locomotive Roundhouse🚂 in Kusu Town.

First, we went to Yukemuri Observatory in Beppu. From here, you can see the awesome view of the hot springs town♨ 😀　

Hot air and smoke rises from everywhere in the city. I think it's just amazing😄

Staying at Terrace Midobaru, a Japanese style hotel in Beppu

We went to Oita for 2 days on November 6 and 7. 

First I took pictures of buses🚌 in Usuki and Oita. After that we headed to Terrace Midobaru (テラス御堂原) in Horita Onsen♨ I've never stayed there so I was really looking forward to it.

This time we just stay for one night and booked on Rakuten Travel at cheapest price, ¥28000 per person per night with two meals🍴 

The room we stayed in was on the second floor of the West wing. It has both Japanese and Western, but it's quite simple😉 They put a carpet in living room instead of tatami mat😄  

The Wagyu beef Shabu-shabu hotpot dish I had for dinner😋

A bowl of Takikomi-gohan🍚 cooked with seasoning, salt and a whole yellowtail fish🐟 

The night view of Beppu from my bed room is beautiful🌃

An onsen bath🛁 in the room. I just took a relaxing bath anytime😇

The next morning my mother and I woke up at 7 am. 

We had breakfast at 8 o'clock so we have to go to the same place as dinner last night.

We got a Kabosu drink and blueberry yogurt for starter. By the way, Kabosu is local specialties in Oita Prefecture.

A variety of dishes.

Good morning city views from my room.

I had some delicious biscotti at checkout counter😊 

 

Visiting Harajiri Falls, Oita

On Wednesday, we had take a drive 🚙to Harajiri Falls🌊 This waterfall is located on the Ono River in Bungo-Ono, Oita♨ It is selected by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment as one of the top 100 waterfalls in Japan🗾 

==Features==

Harajiri Falls is 20 meters tall and 120 meters wide. Due to its appearance, it is sometimes referred to the "Niagara Falls of the East."🌏 The waterfall is formed from the pyroclastic flows of an eruption of Mount Aso about 90,000 years ago😲

From Wikipedia

I'm going to cross a wooden bridge📸

A close up view of the waterfall is like this.

Visiting Atomic Bomb Ruins of Shiroyama Elementary School, Nagasaki

Yesterday we had take a drive🚙 to the A-bomb Ruins of Shiroyama Elementary School in Nagasaki. Shiroyama Elementary School is a public primary school near the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park🏞 During the World War Two, it was called Shiroyama Public School, and was located just 500 meters from the hypocenter of the atomic bomb💣 The elementary school building suffered extensive burns when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki City, at 11:02 am, August 9, 1945; over 1400 students and staff losing their lives. Now a part of the school building at the time of the bombing still remains, and is used for peace education. 

When I took a picture in front of the elementary school, a kindly man told us about history of the school building🏫 He's a great guide, he explained us in more detail. And he was very happy that you came😊 I recommenced you to go there if you intended to visit. The museum is free of charge❗

Messages from visitors. 

We went up the stairs to the second floor.

A Japanese laurel tree that survived the bombing of Nagasaki. 

Photographs taken right after the bomb was dropped😭

Beautiful Origami paper cranes made by children🐦👏