Wanderlust: Japan (Beppu, Yufuin, and Saga)

I have a fairly severe case of wanderlust, which seems to have flared up this week. For the last three years, Henry and I have traveled to Japan in the fall. Since I have felt a strong connection to this beautiful, awe-inspiring country ever since I first stepped foot on Japanese soil, I have a sort of ping in my heart reminding me that I should be stuck on an 11-hour flight on my way to eating the world's best sushi, taking fun rides on the shinkansen, and of course enjoying the company of the friendly, kind, warm-hearted people that live there.

All this week, I've been looking back in my travel diary, to see what I was doing on each day, one year ago, on our last trip to Japan. One year ago today, on October 1, 2011, we had a particularly amazing day, which will go down as one of my very favorite travel memories of all time. This was the day that our friend Ryuji took us to visit the towns of Beppu and Yufuin, and capped off the day with a special meal at his family's house.

Ryuji has a sweet black Mercedes, which meant we rode in comfort and style the whole time. We stopped off at a rest stop on the way to Beppu, which is always interesting to me. It's much like an American rest stop, with bathrooms, vending machines, and maybe a few signs depicting nearby sights to visit. The coolest thing about these rest stops, though, is that most tourists probably never see them, since most visitors do not rent a car to get around Japan, instead relying on the excellent network of trains. It's sort of a "hidden Japan" that, thanks to our Japanese friend, we were able to experience.

Ryuji's sleek black Mercedes

A rest stop in Japan.

Once in Beppu, we visited Umi Jigoku, also known as the "sea hell". It's a boiling, brilliantly blue pond of water fed by a hot spring. You can even enjoy an egg that has been hard-boiled in the "hell", which we did (and it was delicious!). There is also a shrine on the site, and a seperate warm spring that you can soak your feet in.

Eggs boiling in the sea hell

Enjoying an egg from "hell"

Henry enjoys a nice foot soak in the hot spring

 Next, we drove around Beppu a bit, making a stop for Henry to check out (and drool over) a vintage Skyline. For lunch, Ryuji suggests a conveyer sushi place, and we happily agree. At this place, if you special-order an item, it's delivered to you on a toy race car! They even had some weird things I've never seen before, such as hamburger nigiri with fries and ketchup!

Henry drooled over this race-prepped vintage Skyline

After lunch, Ryuji took us to an onsen, or hot spring bath. Henry and I were treated to a private onsen in a little rustic thatched-roof hut. There are all sorts of minerals in the water (including sulfur) which makes the water smell kinda weird, but it's supposed to be very good for your skin. It was intensely relaxing, and a very fun experience. A must-do if you ever find yourself in Beppu!

 All blissed out and relaxed from the healing waters, we leave Beppu and head to the resort town of Yufuin. It's filled with traditional ryokan and onsen, and is a big tourist destination for the Japanese. There is a cute, strollable main street lined with neat little shops. At one, we buy funny Japanese t-shirts, and also can't resist stopping at the "neko" store, which is filled entirely with cat-related merch. The music playing in the shop is various tunes done entirely in meows. You've gotta be a major cat fan to enjoy this experience! I purchase a food dish and heart-adorned collar for Abby.

The "neko shop"

Ryuji also takes us to a vintage automobile museum. There are plenty of old American cars, but also some neat old Japanese cars (Subarus and such) that I've never seen before. We play around on the Harleys serving as photo props. Since Yufuin is a mostly frequented by Japanese tourists, they definitely play up all of this exotic Americana!

Vintage Subarus!

It's getting late, so we drive back to Ryuji's hometown of Saga like a bat out of hell...Ryuji is quite the fast driver in his fancy new car! We are treated to dinner at his in-laws' house, which is located out in the country on a rice farm. We'd actually been there once before, on our first trip to Japan, which was quite the experience. Let's just say that we painfully realized how strong sake is, and never to finish your glass because your host will continue to refill it until you pass out cold on the tatami mat. But, I digress. Like last time, we sit on the floor in a tatami room, and a delicious spread is soon set before us by our gracious hosts. Dinner consists of "shabu shabu", which is a pot of boiling water set on the table that you dip very thin pieces of fish or pork into. We also eat plenty of other things like edamame (love!), fish cake, and fresh fruit. And, of course, some sake.We take it easy this time, though...lesson learned! Ryuji's father-in-law doesn't swig sake with us this time, and retires early to bed. Apparently, he has been ill and was recently hospitalized. Ryuji's sister-in-law enjoys practicing her English with us, and we share funny stories about American stereotypes. (Like, we set them straight that all Americans don't wear Levi's and drink Budweiser). We have a great night and feel so honored to be welcomed into their home, for an authentically Japanese experience.

Our friends Ryuji, Kaori, and their son Ryusei

The family and us

 Earlier this year, we received sad news that Ryuji's father-in-law had passed away. We were devastated. On our first visit, he had welcomed us into his home, the only Americans EVER to visit, and then welcomed us back again. He didn't speak English, and of course we don't speak much Japanese,  but it's amazing how much you can get across without speaking a common language. We will treasure his hospitality always, and it will go down as one of the best moments of my life. RIP...we'll see you on the other side, and we'll make sure to bring a bottle of sake.