Anyways, the welcome trip was two days and one night and we stayed at a small りょかん (inn) in the mountains (apparently it is Kyudai's private holiday destination!). All the places we went were on the natural side of things and I guess thats one of the highlights of Kyushu, it really is somewhere where you can connect with nature and relax, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Our first destination was Ryumon Falls, an astounding waterfall. In the Spring lots of people actually come here for a swim and the waters are said to cleanse off any 'sin' or 'dirt' you have on you. However, because it is Autumn now, the water level was too low for us to swim.
Next we headed to '九重夢お吊り橋’ which is a suspension bridge hang over a mountain valley. It was the first time I'd ever gone on one and only about half way through when I felt the bridge shaking from side and side, that I realised the whole bridge was suspended from metal ropes instead of being supported by poles underneath! There was a sign on the bridge that compared the height of Godzilla (100m) to the bridge (173m) :O
We spent lots of time on the road and visiting those two places pretty much took up the whole day. We ended the day off with a nice sports session in the 体育館 (gym) and then an embarrassing yet relaxing 温泉(hot spring) session. At first when we were all told to strip on the spot it was overly overwhelming but after getting past the initial awkwardness, everything was fine. Apparently when you first join a Japanese company, they like to take a company trip to the hot springs because taking off clothes symbolises the breaking down of all social barriers, letting all the employees as well as superiors socialise and get to know one another on a equal platform. This is also the reason that lots of Japanese go drinking with their superiors after work! I think the reasoning is very understandable but still, I don't think I quite fancy seeing my superior naked if I've just started at a company... What do you guys think o.o?
The next day we visited くじゅう花公園, an extremely beautiful flower park. I also had a chance to try some chestnut ice-cream. Although, I didn't quite taste any chestnut, I thought it was quite an interesting idea. There was also lavender ice-cream... the Japanese sure are creative with their ice-cream flavours!
Our last destination was Aso Farm Land, an area near Mt Aso, an active volcano :O. Apparently, this trip normally involves going to a lookout which allows you to peak into the volcano and see its lava bubble however that along with Kumamoto Castle was destroyed in the Kyushu earthquake earlier this year :(. We did a bit of hiking up a mountain and it was extremely hot but totally worth it. The view at the top was beyond amazing!
The trip was definitely an experience I'd never forget and was the beginning of some very special friendships. So glad Kyudai organised this for us and this makes me look forward to the next half a year I will spend here.
If you are thinking about visiting Japan, it is definitely worthwhile to pop down to Kyushu for a couple of days! Thanks for reading guys. I'll see you in the next post. Bye~
xx H.
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