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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 14h

Today the plan is to meet up with an old friend. I can’t wait!

arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 14h

After shopping, I spent most of my day yesterday wandering around my old stomping grounds. A city can change a lot in 12 years, and it was fun to see some of the results, even if it was a little sad to find many old favorite spots gone.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 15h

Revisited my favorite stationery store! Back when I was living in Hachinohe, this place (the Kaneiri connected to Sakurano) is where I bought my first fountain pen and learned to love fine writing materials (there’s nothing like trying before you buy). I’m happy to see it’s still going strong!

The exterior entrance to the Kaneiri stationery and book store.

A table display of Kakimori inks, dip pen nibs, and nib holders on the left, with “paper tasting” packs by Yamamoto Paper on the right.

A shelf full of inks from various brands. You can do some test writing with them or see samples of them if you talk to the staff.

A display case filled with fountain pens. This is just one of many such displays in the store, but I liked the pelican statue gripping a Pelikan pen in its beak (seen in the upper right) enough that this is the one I got a picture of. Like with the inks, you can try writing with these pens if you talk to the staff.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

My plan for today is to wander Hachinohe and otherwise take it easy. Should make for a nice change of pace after all the eventful days I’ve been having.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

Finally, some photos specifically for my dad, featuring more treats I’ve been enjoying lately.

A Hagen Dazs crispy sandwich, with ice cream sandwiched between two crispy wafers and coated with a hard caramel exterior. I prefer to pair this with a lemon soda as well (really I just like lemon soda), but this time I had to make do with Coke.

A selfie of me enjoying the cafe mocha from the previous photo.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s the info on each act from a sign outside the space they were using as a stage:
鷹島姫乃
［和風ポールダンス］
LEO
［ジャグリング一輪車パフォーマンス］

The sign for the street acts I saw in Hachinohe.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

I was in for one late-in-the-day surprise, though, because when I got to downtown Hachinohe, I caught two street shows in progress. One featured Japanese-style pole dancing and the other was a juggling act that included unicycle riding. I’ve been really lucky running into events this trip!

A Japanese-style pole dance taking place in downtown Hachinohe.

Another part of the Japanese-style pole dancing act.

A juggling act I ran into in downtown Hachinohe. This part of the act involved juggling flaming batons.

Another part of the juggling act that featured the performer on a unicycle catching a giant Kendama.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

That brings me to yesterday, which was essentially a full day of travel. I got on a Shinkansen leaving Kumamoto at 7:42 AM and got off after three transfers at Hachinohe at 5:04 PM. That’s almost ten hours on the train! I love that you can do it, though. Japan’s public transit is amazing!

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

After enjoying the sights around Kumamoto, I headed back over to the Ozu area and returned to that amazing shop with pulled pork sandwiches and lemon drinks. The shopkeeper recognized me and was very kind, even asking about my trip so far. It made for a lovely end to my day.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

My final stop for the day was the promenade outside the Kumamoto Prefectural Offices. This is where they have the Luffy statue on display, and this one also has an imprint of ONE PIECE author Eiichiro Oda’s hand.

The promenade outside the Kumamoto Prefectural Offices, lined with ginkgo trees.

The Monkey D. Luffy statue on display at the promenade.

The imprint of Eiichiro Oda’s hand at the base of the Luffy statue.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

After the Josaien shopping district, I visited the last place included in my ticket for Kumamoto Castle: the Kumamoto City Museum. I couldn’t get many photos, but this train that ran for 33 years on the local Houhi line (after 14 years as a freight car) was but one of many cool things on display.

A train that ran on the local Houhi line for 33 years on display as an exterior exhibit at the Kumamoto City museum.

The plaque explaining the history of the train (in Japanese). This is how I know it served for 14 years as a freight train and 33 years as a passenger train.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

After visiting the Wakuwaku Za, I checked out the surrounding shops done up in traditional Japanese style. Since it was a hot day, I tried some of the specialty “jindaiko” soft serve. It’s red bean paste flavored with little pieces of Shiratama dango inside. Delicious!

The exterior of the Kobaian shop at Josaien, a shopping district outside Kumamoto Castle.

Rows of shops at Josaien, with the storefronts made to look like traditional Japanese buildings.

A selfie of me just before sampling the Jindaiko soft serve in front of the big sign advertising it.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

Right next to Kumamoto Castle was a set of tourist shops that had a museum (the Wakuwaku Za) that I bought a combo ticket to see. This place was fun because it had a number of interactive exhibits: a palanquin you could ride in, traditional clothes to try on, and more!

A recreation of a traditional Japanese palanquin you could “ride” in.

A set of clothes in traditional style that you could try on.

A selfie of me with a recreated version of a traditional set of armor associated with the feudal lords who lived in Kumamoto Castle. You could get a photo of yourself “inside” it, but the exhibit was a little short for me.

A recreated set of traditional Japanese clothing on display at the Wakuwaku Za.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

On my way out of the castle grounds, I happened to catch a special show they had going on: Kumamoto Castle in the Clouds. They piped mist out so you could get a glimpse of what the castle might look like in fog from the walkway used to approach the castle during construction work.

A view of the main keep of Kumamoto Castle with steam underneath it as part of a special show.

A view of the trees wreathed in the mist used for the Kumamoto Castle in the Clouds show.

A more direct view of the main keep of Kumamoto Castle with the mist pouring in below.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

Views from the top floor of Kumamoto Castle, which now serves as an observatory.

A look down at the ongoing construction efforts to repair the castle after an earthquake.

A view of the castle grounds with the city of Kumamoto in the distance. To the left you can just see some distinctive decorative tiles.

A better view of the decorative tiles from the left of the last photo. The originals were studied very closely when making these recreations.

A view of the minor keep from the main observatory in Kumamoto Castle.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

Kumamoto Castle itself was quite the sight! It’s currently undergoing repairs, and this isn’t the original castle building, it’s a reconstruction, but it still left a strong impression on me.

One of the outlying watchtowers of Kumamoto Castle.

A view of the main keep from behind a damaged castle wall.

A selfie in front of the main structure of Kumamoto Castle, which notably has both a major and a minor section to the keep.

The main building of Kumamoto Castle framed by a bench with decorative “shachihoko” statues on either end.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 1d

After a packed couple of days in Nagasaki, I headed back to Kumamoto for one more day of sightseeing. After dropping off my things at the hotel, my goal was Kumamoto Castle, but the walk there was nice in its own right. I even found a great shop to stop at for lunch!

A giant Kumamon head on display at Kumamoto Station.

A view of the city across a river on my walk from my hotel to Kumamoto Castle.

A nice little park I walked by on the way to Kumamoto Castle.

A Japanese-style building home to a restaurant where I stopped for lunch. The staff were very friendly!

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 3d

All in all, I had quite an eventful second day in Nagasaki. My next move was back to Kumamoto, but I’ll have to wait to chronicle that another time.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 3d

I also ran into a guy from Germany on my way back to my hotel. He was very friendly, and it helped make this trip feel truly international to me. The world is a fascinating place full of amazing people!

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 3d

Finally, I headed over to Mt. Inasayama to watch the sun set and experience one of the “three best night views” in Japan. Hakodate is one of the others, so now I’ve seen two of the three!

Watching the sunset from the top of the observatory on Mt. Inasayama.

The murder of crows that took to the skies as the sun set around Mt. Inasayama.

A view of the city of Nagasaki at night from atop Mt. Inasayama.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 3d

Special shoutout to the parody crew that performed fun versions of famous festival shows.

A fun version of the sumo performance using a rod designed to be placed between safety cones.

A fun take on a “jaodori”, with traffic cones substituting for poles holding up an imaginary dragon.

The final parody show, involving a group of people carrying someone lying on their back as if they were a “float”.

The person acting as the “float” is then thrown into the air.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 3d

After I had lunch, I still wasn’t festivaled out, so I went to a performance set to take place outside Nagasaki Station. First was a dance number, then a Sumo performance with what looked like a bow, and finally, the procession I saw leave Suwa Shrine arrive. It was extremely fun to watch.

A group of girls in traditional Japanese outfits perform a dance.

A sumo wrestler performs using a long wooden pole that resembles a bow.

The procession from Suwa Shrine arrives.

The group carrying the “float” from Suwa Shrine spin it around in exciting fashion.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 3d

After the performance was over, I took the chance to look around Suwa Shrine itself. It seems to have a section dedicated to Inari as well. Also, it was kind of funny to walk past people taking down the seating for the show on my way out.

Horse statue near the steps leading up to the main hall of Suwa Shrine.

A row of Torii gates leading up to the Inari section of Suwa Shrine.

The dismantling of the seats and stands after the procession left Suwa Shrine.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 3d

But I didn’t want my trip to be all about museums. Through sheer dumb luck, I was in Nagasaki for one of the biggest festivals of the year: Nagasaki Kunchi. I got to see groups bless shops throughout the city, look on at a performance in a park, and catch a procession starting at Suwa Shrine.

A festival group visiting a shop to perform.

A relatively small but still impressive performance at a public park.

Part of the day’s main performance at Suwa Shrine (the place chiefly associated with the festival), just before the start of a procession through the city.

The festival “float”, with children playing instruments inside, being carried down the stairs of the shrine at the start of the procession.

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arukimania.bsky.social @arukimania.bsky.social · 3d

Having thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Glover Garden, I decided to make my way over to nearby Oura Cathedral. Pictures weren’t allowed here, but the church itself was beautiful, and the museum covered a lot of Christian history in Japan, featuring the “discovery” of the hidden Christians.

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