Tour Report

June 2011


Dear Travelers,

I came back from the Kyushu Tour in early June. As I rest, I am enjoying this feeling of relief that everything went so well.

Our group left the U.S. for Japan about two months after the catastrophic disaster which struck Japan’s northeast in March. Though the area we traveled is more than 600 miles away from the damaged region and not affected at all, I still had a hard time deciding whether we should visit Japan this time or not. Without the firm determination of and encouragement by many of our tour participants, I could not have made a decision. Some participants emailed me saying that they wanted to go to Kyushu to show their support of Japan and the Japanese people.

This time, we flew in and out of Osaka Kansai Airport, instead of Tokyo Narita Airport, to stay further away from the troubled nuclear power plants in Fukushima. From Osaka, we took the newest bullet train, “Sakura” to Kokura, Kyushu, then transferred to a local express train which took us along the beautiful coast line and through lush farm lands to our first destination, Kitsuki.

Out of 10 participants, four people were repeat travelers. It was their second, third, and even seventh trip with us. Others were either referred by our past participants or knew about our tour by word of mouth. So, it was really like friends traveling together. I enjoy very much this circle of travel friends, which has grown steadily larger and larger every year.

Here are some of the comments of the tour participants:

We cannot think of anything we did not enjoy on this trip…There were different highlights for every location we visited, from the Samurai homes in Kitsuki, the festival in Hita, the bamboo, pottery, and indigo dying places, the shoyu production place, the wonderful cooperative farm in Oyama (truly a revelation), the onsen experience and all the delicious meals we had. (Mel and June Kani)

This is exactly the kind of tour I thought I would enjoy very much, and I did. Not visiting "tourist-y" sites as much as seeing the countryside, the people, the arts and crafts. I would love to take more tours of this type. Congratulations to you for putting this together. (Judy Ousterhout)

I'm ready to sign up again. (Harriet Fukushima)

It was a fabulous trip and I can see why previous travelers rave about it. (Addie Fukuda)

I absolutely enjoyed everything about the trip. As you know, I've had many, many wonderful experiences in Japan, but this was the most event-filled 12 days of my life! (Ardie Chapman)

People were exceptionally kind and generous to us. (Allyne Beach)

This year’s Kyushu Tour was escorted by Hiro Nishimura. Born and raised in Japan, he moved to the U.S. after college and served for 20 years as manager and cross-cultural training specialist for a non-profit organization in Denver, Colorado. He now lives in Kumamoto, Japan and manages an organization which offers international and intercultural education and exchange program. We were so lucky to have him to assist our group as tour guide/escort. He did a marvelous job. Hiroko Ono, a seasoned traveler who repeatedly joins our tours, commented: “ Hiro did an excellent job, he went above and beyond what was required of him. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed him.”

On the third day of the tour, I left the group to do some scouting for future tours. I visited farms in Ajimu, Oita Prefecture, which is known for its green tourism in which farmers provide meals and lodging for travelers. I immediately fell in love with the residents, scenery and the staff of the nonprofit organization who run the program. I look forward to visiting them next time with our tour group. Then, I went to the charming castle town of Usuki by the sea, which preserves rows of old temples and merchant houses. A group of Buddha figures which were carved out of natural rocks of a cliff in the 12th – 14th century are located in the mountain near the town. http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/oita/usuki.html Perfect place for our tour, I noted in my journal. Kyushu has so much to offer. My girlfriend in Oita and I enjoyed a drive in and around the spectacular Kujyu mountains. We explored many hidden hotspring villages and the great food they offer.

At the end of the scouting tour, I surprised our tour group by showing up in the middle of their farewell dinner at a Yakitori restaurant in Karatsu. When I saw their happy and satisfied faces, I could immediately tell this tour was a great success. I was glad we had come. Kampai (toast) to 2011 Kyushu Tour participants! Kampai to Hiro and local hosts! And, Kampai to Japan - wishing your quick recovery!

Mariko Watanabe-Harumi
Owner
Community Travel Service