Every day I drive along this road to work and think, why don't I ever take a picture? So this is one of the many rivers that run through here. Never actually see these boats move but it would be a cool place to explore.
Nice steep steps, and narrow for small feet...not big, floppy American feet!
Here are bubbles along the river from old lava flow zones. Everywhere in Japan you can see these lava patterns if you pay attention enough. These were just on the river bed.
The entire backdrop of landscape is beautiful here with rolling mountains and green, lush plants. The hillsides are like Utah or Colorado without the dry starkness, unless it is a drought season. Architechture (modern day) is about a 1:10 but landscape in Kyushu is a 10:10.
I took this picture for brandt because I know he LOVES little cars. I tried to get the van in the background for perspective so you could imagine how small it is. What would you put in the back of that truck?!
Japanese LOVE vending machines. They will slam on the breaks or just turn on their hazards in front of you and leave their car to get something from the vending machine...very, very frustrating. Don't come here if you have road rage!
You will be on a hike 20 km in and on top of a mountain and there will be a vending machine, which also means someone walks that far carrying supplies to replenish it. Just crazy! In the summer they are cold, in the winter they are hot. Pretty nice actually. Brandt's favorites are the beer vending machines, which are difficult to find.
Here were some girls walking back from the vending machines. Typical Japanese street with concrete everywhere and walls...maybe to keep out the spirits.
A little further along the road, you come to a beautiful structure...what is it? An art museum, the concert hall, oh no...it is the RECYCLING CENTER. What? The most artfully building aroudn is a recycling center. I just don't get it.
Coming back over the red bridge the sun was starting to go down...
The amazing thing about Japan is that it is so advanced, but then sometimes you feel liek you are in a thrid world country. Look at this house on the river. I wonder how old that house is, let alone that wall. I found out an interesting thing the other day...the dam that holds the reservoir for Northern Sasebo was actually build by American POWs during WWII and 80 actually dies in its fabrication. I wonder who built that wall? Americans? Probably much older than that, but I didn't even know there were American POWs in Japan in WWII, let alone in Sasebo.
As I neared my house again, it was time to go up random steps to find some shrines I saw on the map I have. I went up one set of steps and it was someone's house, who then released their 3 dogs on me so I ran away. Thank you very much! Just like the US. Then I found the right set of steps and here was the gate and shrine...once again steep steps.
Then I realized there is a much nicer temple up the road so I went there. But it was starting to get dark so I will have to go back again later and take better pictures...
Nice view over Haiki though from the temple. Good place for a picnic lunch. Then it was too dark so off home I went.
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