Another Kunisaki Sunday

Monju Temple, Kunisaki, leaves one quite speechless

Quite the jewel in the crown you know. I had been wondering about Monju for a while. In fact, since I saw this poster in many of the local shops, and whilst taking tea at a local hotel.

I think the 'official' Japanese web site is here, but it really fails to show much of what I saw. A national treasure would be an understatement. Do they really know how to market what they have? We advertise big fiberglass prawns better in Australia! As if it would need it ;-)

Nonetheless, at last we paid a visit. It's out in the country, and that's remote enough. Then up a mountain road, even better. My phone snaps do not do this location any justice at all! But as the scenes are so beautiful, maybe the lackluster technology won't matter. I'll be back, I can promise you that.

These will do for now, until I get a real camera. Camera manufacturers, this is your chance to step in and get some free advertising! Yes I say, free as in beer.

So, this is my taster for what to expect if you take a wander around Monju Temple (Monjusen-ji or 文殊仙寺), here in Kunisaki. Where a Canon factory is also located. HINT, HINT. I'll even fix your website in exchange :-)

All this, a short drive from the house. Extraordinary! There should be a million web entries on this, and yet I could barely find one decent page, even in Japanese.  Maybe I'll have to do something better. Here, by myself. So until then!

Hmmm, maybe not quite speechless, as per the title, but sufficiently humbled, if I knew what that were like.

Japanese - tools to help

Wifey told me this post was way too geeky for a Kunisaki post, and if I had any readers, then I would surely have lost them by now. So, its rightful place is here, on a more 'technical' blog.

OK, nothing to see here, just click 'Older Posts' and please move on, no need to create a queue!

From Kunisaki to the African plains!

I'm not quite sure what surprised me most about this little adventure. For my 4 year old, an adventure it was. From a peaceful Japanese valley, to deepest darkest Africa! OK, that really is an exaggeration. But once we were staring into the eyes of the big どうぶつ (Dōbutsu, animals), it was another world. And for a jaded old fart (like me), that's saying something.

One other surprise was that us parents could go along on our child's Kindergarten excursion - with all the other children, their parents and お先生 (o-sensei or teacher *)! I don't recall this being possible in Wales, Malta or Australia - my list of places where I was either a child, or parent.

I have already gained a great sense of the community spirit that is here in countryside Japan. You've maybe shared, somewhat vicariously, in some of the events we've covered to date. But this does seem just a little special. To see my son interact with everybody as they were having such fun, told me a lot about his school and the people his young impressionable mind will now be permanently connected with. For daddy it seems priceless indeed!

As an outsider, and a new arrival, I seem to pick up a lot on what is 'unique' about this part of the world. In this case, not just rural Japan, but maybe a microcosm of what is so quintessentially Japanese!

Allow me to elaborate. Well we had to be up early, and out of the door by a certain time. As I drove, my dear wife seemed very concerned about our progress. "We're going to be late!!". I speed up. Short interlude. "Why are you speeding?" I slow back down. When we arrive at the school, I do start to get it. Yes, just a little of how the Japanese think.

Anyway, two coaches were at the front of the kindie. Lots of cars were being carefully parked. Little bladders were being, just as carefully, emptied. Lot's of ございます (gozaimasu) ringing in the air. The おはよう (ohayo) seems to be almost inaudible or is dropped by some 'good morning' greeters. It all happens at a quick pace and then we're suddenly on the coach.

As we drove off, my wife looked at the watch and proudly pointed out how we were departing 2 minutes before the allocated time. Yes, that's what the rush was all about. This is Japan and everything, nay everyone, goes like the proverbial clockwork.
  
One hour later we were at the African plains. An African Safari to be exact. Their site seems to be all Japanese, so for your benefit, it's the

Kyushu Natural Zoological Park African Safari

Apparently one of the biggest in Japan, no less.  I quite like this pamphlet that one gets on arrival. Like the website, you'll be looking at the pictures, but it might just give you that 'we've arrived feeling', as you wonder where everything is and what to go see and do.  You really should come along too! Even the safari bus runs on time ;-)

What did we love most? Well feeding the animals of course. And doing so with us in the cage, not them. It makes a BIG difference to the experience. We did a safari just outside Banagalore some 3 years back now, and apparently the full cage was only added to the safari vehicle after someone was seriously mauled. India, now that's another story all together!

Here are some of my snaps, just to further whet your appetite. The first, inside the meat wagon - I'm sure we whetted the appetite of some of the big game animals! Look at that juicy 外人 (gaijin) after all.

And some of those beasties looked pretty damn hungry! I'm sure he's eyeing up my son, like I would an after dinner mint. (Oh I must mention that the outside of these safari buses are in the form of elephants, buffalo,...!!!)

And they came in all shapes and sizes.

I really can't tell you how many animals we saw and how brilliant it all was. It just was. 

After the tour, we wandered around for a few hours and saw even more. This is so much better than a zoo. I really don't like prisons for people, let alone for animals.

These little guys (ok, they were in a caged area) put their tiny little hands into yours as they came round for a feed!

If you have kids, then go there. If you're a big kid like me, ditto. Looking through all the snaps brings back that excitement all over again (I filled my SD card well before the end). My son also loved riding a miniature pony, feeding a tiny donkey, holding a guinea pig - the list goes on. 

Countryside Japan, and Kunisaki especially, leave me wondering why I didn't come sooner.

[*Ed. CORRECTION: 'O Sensei" may refer to a particular person, e.g Aikido founder, Morihei Ueshiba was called O-sensei. But this O isn't what you think.  It is supposed to be pronounced Oo (大) Sensei.  This may be used to differentiate from other normal Sensei.  Sometimes 大 can be added to refer the main teacher. Often, we would pronounce as Dai (big) Sensei, but for some reason, this man was called Oo-sensei. 

 

No matter what, there is no O-sensei as what you think.]  

Interesting Japan fact #1

Whilst in Ota at the Shirahige Tahara Doburoku Matsuri I was not 100% accurate (and I never am, nor will be) on the status of homebrew in Japan. With a little prompting from our new friend Paul, and Wikipedia's entry on Beer in Japan, I hereby declare (with words other than my own)

In 1994, Japan's strict tax laws were relaxed allowing smaller breweries producing 60,000 litres (15,850 gal) per year. Before this change, breweries could not get a license without producing at least 2 million litres (528,000 gal) per year. As a result, a number of smaller breweries have been established throughout Japan. Although it is technically illegal to produce beverages containing more than 1% alcohol without a license, the law is rarely adhered to for homebrewers and homebrewing supplies are available from high street store Tokyu Hands and various websites.

In a country where booze is both cheap and of good quality, I don't really get home brew! I would probably be too lazy to 'buy in'. I suspect you have to have an adventurous palate and wish to recreate your own version of any one of the many amazing beers that are out there! Hmmm, OK, I do get it.

Well not specifically a Kunisaki story, but I do seem to drink a lot of beer, sake,... in Kunisaki so I think Food and Drink is a relevant topic. So it's 乾杯 (Kanpai or cheers) from Kunisaki!

Mt Futago

Futago-san (Mount Futago) dominates the views whilst driving into our valley at Kunisaki. Looking at a map, we are based just about half way between the coast and the mountains, the latter at the centre of a great peninsula. I have just read that Futago-san stands at 720m. Thanks to Google maps I have this beautiful satellite image below, overlaid with some useful site names.

Now I have been wondering about the fantastic shape of the peninsula, and its geology, for a long time. Maybe why I chose our new banner image, which I can thankfully attribute to Earth Snapshot.

So what have I just discovered? The circular Kunisaki Peninsula is formed by large conical volcanoes, which includes Futago. It is a part of the Kuju volcanic cluster.

Twenty-eight ravines radiate outward from the peninsula’s center. Hmmm, so I guess I drive one of them - our valley! This image shows those ravines (thank you NASA).

My wife tells me that Futago means twin(s). And indeed Futago-san has a distinct twin peak. I'd noted the fantastic lava flows in the cliffs above Gyonyu dam (sitting near the top of our valley).

I feel so lucky to live in a place with such fantastic topograpical features! Ermmm, I mean I like the views :-)

Welcome to the new blog for and about Kunisaki, Japan

Wikipedia says that 国東市, or Kunisaki-shi, is a city in Oita prefecture, Japan. 


We will be introducing, to other English speakers, what we know of and love about this special part of Japan. Ignore what Wikipedia says, this is truly the countryside of Japan, it's rural, and it is prime tourist / intrepid traveller territory.


The primary purpose of this site will be to stimulate interest in potential visitors, to provide guidance and of course, to share what we ourselves have discovered. We want you to enjoy it as much as we do. And yes, we live here, and the author is a gaijin (外人), or foreigner, probably just like you. I will ask all the same questions that you will, and hopefully clear a path for you to follow.


Every good blog should have lots of pictures, and this one will be no exception. As a taster, from a recent hike up a local mountain, we discovered on its ridge an old shrine. Near the shrine was a beautiful stone carved with the names of people who had contributed to its creation. On the side of this beautiful monolith was inscribed a date. March 1917 (Taishō 6). It's a true treasure, it's not on the map, and you are now the first to see.    

ようこそ to Kunisaki! 


The hiragana ようこそ, is pronounced Yokoso, and is the Japanese for Welcome!