Kyushu, Japan. Day 2

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.Kyushu Day2
Yesterday's dinner was a real banquet only to be replicated for breakfast today. The meals so far are astonishing and no wonder the Japanese are generally slim and have longevity. We had bean curd soup (miso), rice, salmon, clams, bacon, sausage, onions, mushrooms, raw egg to mix with the rice and all manner of vegetables and other fish etc. All in very small portions, well presented and very tasty, giving us a good start to the tour and just what we need to get up our first hill this morning.
We actually had beds last night, which were very comfortable and welcoming following our 36 hours without proper sleep. I am pressed with the Japanese culture of ultimate hygiene with their electric toilet seats. I said the last time that I was here that I wanted one and it is again on my list. As you sit on the seat it warms up for you and there is an array of buttons on the side with various options of washing for man or lady and other unknown functions which are only known to those who can understand the squiggly Japanese characters. The first stop this morning was the bakery in town to buy bread rolls etc for for lunch. A nice run around the tiny streets on the edge of town and we were soon climbing out of town up through the hairpins of about 7%. The day was spent doing a 35 mile loop back into town through some amazing scenery of small villages and farming areas. Many of the rice paddies and vegetable patches are being cultivated by hand and very small Kubota style tractors. We saw quite a few 4'10" old ladies reduced to 4' through being bent double by hard labour with their head below their rumps all their lives. Being springtime the cherry blossom was out and all the gardens were full of colour with well manicured trees and bushes. This created an atmosphere of old world charm and beauty in miniature. There was just enough time to venture into Yufuin and a look around the shops and jostle with the Japanese tourists before a dip in the Onsen and do my Chamelion trick. Eventually I regained my pasty colour and joined everyone for dinner out in the town. On our return we dodged into the 7/11 to obtain some cash from the ATM. Banks have short opening times and Post Offices are like hens teeth, as in Britain. We have to give our local guides credit for creating such a wonderful route with great accommodation and meals so far.

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Photos

Me with my lifetime horoscope
horrorscope.
Bought at the shrine for 60p