Padmassana went travelling around Kyushu in June/July time. Here is the
second of three extracts from his travel journal.

I left Beppu in more torrents of rain after a night of storms and went
to Miyazaki. Miyazaki was a staging post on the way to Kagoshima and is
famous for the Haniwa figures, clay statues that were found in burial
mounds, similar to the Xian terracotta warriors. These were all items
the Shogun would need to take with him to the other world. Some are funny,
some threatening, some are mysterious, and include boats, carriages and
horses. I found a local moggie asleep in one of the carriages, taking
shelter from the rain!

After finding my nice hotel I decided to go to Heidawa Park and promptly
got lost. There is a Peace Tower in he park, built in 1940. It started
to hail so I ended up sheltering under a bridge. There was a Mini Mart
near by so I went in for a sausage on a stick and found I was actually
very near the park.

From Miyazaki, I did the 2 hour ride down to Kagoshima. I was immediately
impressed with Kagoshima – it is a lovely city, has a very nice
Ryokan, a KFC and a McDonalds all within a short walk, so I wont be starving!

It’s now lovely and warm and the sun occasionally comes out. The
Nakazono Ryokan in Kagoshima was superb, tatami mat floor with futon.
The owner is very knowledgeable about the city, such as knowing where
the free internet cafes are and says the weather is going to be good for
the next few days! Had lunch by the port looking towards the volcano Sakurajima.

I took the 24 hour ferry from Kagoshima, a 5 minute boat trip ($3.50,
£2 return) across the sea between Sakurajima and the volcano. Once there,
you take the tour bus that picks you up from where the ferry docks. It
runs twice a day and costs 1,700 Yen, about £10 or $15. I did a tour,
10 Japanese people and me! The guide didn’t speak any English so
she gave me a book with numbers. She would be gabbling away in Japanese,
then she’d shout “Number 21” and I’d read the book
while trying to look out of the window! Really enjoyed the island, where
I saw all the different layers of lava and the lava fields which you can
see from the viewing platforms is in wave shapes. The tour includes a
village that has been buried and a ceramics workshop where you can buy
pottery glazed with volcanic ash.

I also went to Ibusuki to try out sand bathing. You go upstairs, pay
900 yen about £6, and are given a big cotton bath robe and walk across
the beach which is so hot on the feet to lie down in a body shaped hole
already dug. You are then covered in this volcanic steaming sand for 20
minutes. After this, you feel nice and warm, but don’t do as I did
and go and wash your toes in the sea, because it is too hot! Instead you
wash yourself off under the tap carefully placed for visitors to clean
off. It is supposed to be good for you!

If you would like to contact Padmassana to ask him about his time in
Japan, he can be e-mailed on: Padmassana.
A good web resource, says Padmassana is: http://www.seejapan.co.uk/fseedo.html