We were given 10 minutes to check in and get changed into more respectable attire for a business dinner.
And, here is the banquet, yes this was for one person and yes that is only the entrée. I couldn’t keep up with the food that came in so this is the only pic sorry!
My favourite dish of the night was the stewed flounder, so tender you can eat everything, and of course, individually steamed rice is my weakness too.
Welcome to Yakushima a small Island off the Southern Coast of Japan. Only a 35 minute plane ride from Kagoshima Airport (please excuse the advertisement for JAL).
Yakushima is almost a complete circle and takes approximately 3 hours to drive around. There is a twisting rugged coastal road on the Western side of the Island, called the Monkey Drive – only for the strong hearted…. But a great place to find playful red-faced monkeys.
The landscape is very similar to tropical North Queensland with lush rainforests and crystal blue swimming holes (not your usual image of Japan). The highlight of the Island is the Jomon-Sugi which is said to be between 6300-7200 years old! The oldest Cedar Tree in the world!! As the Japanese would say - ‘Berry Berry Old Tree’. The only thing is, it takes a 5 to 6 hour hike up the mountain to be able to witness this monster of a tree.
As I am not much of a hiker, I went to the best next thing – 1000-2000 year old tree, which I think from memory is called the Daio-Sugi.
Along the way you can meet a few friends……this one looks a little evil, but very nice in person.
And check out the breath taking views from Mt. Miyanoura-dake, the highest peak on the Island.
To be continued…………..
We stayed in New Akan Hotel Shangri-la.
No, it is no way related to the internationally famous hotel chain.
A keen observer in our group pointed out that the hotel must have been around longer, for it to be still operating under this name.
It was a really nice accommodation though, rooms traditionally Japanese style and spacious.
The thing that I was most looking forward to was the hot spring bath located on the rooftop, heaven. (photo courtesy of New Akan Shangri-la Hotel)
More exciting part of the day was approaching, cruise on Akan Lake.
The only thing was that it was so cold for May! Luckily, seats on the boat were heated so we were able to enjoy the cruise comfortably.
During the cruise, we made a short stop at an island in the middle of the Akan Lake to see some Marimo Exhibits.
Before coming to this part of Hokkaido, all I knew about Marimos were that they were just large moss balls that fascinated many Japanese people and are made into lots of merchandise for some unknown reason.
Apparently, there is more to it than that but I won’t bore you with the details. You’ll just have to go there to learn for yourself!
Or go to the good old trusted Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimo
