Day 17 Kagoshima, Japan

Today was a great day with hot and humid weather. I was really cooking. It was a good think that the sun wasn’t always out. We arrived at the dock in Kagoshima around dawn this morning. It was really overcast and foggy. I was a little disappointed because the port faces Mt Sakurajima which is a mildly active volcano and the view was slightly obscured. We had a nice welcoming committee with a band. My tour left at 0730 heading for our first stop of Chiran. In the old city of Chiran are Samurai houses that go back over 250 years. The houses and gardens were amazing. These houses have been passed down through the generations and people still live there. The houses and gardens were amazing…. We then went to Lake Ikeda and checked our some giant eels…. Tasty. The view of Mt Kaimon which is compared to Mt Fuji was obscured by the clouds… bummer. The visit to the “sand bath” place in Ibusuki Hot Springs was really interesting. The guy dug a shallow hole in the black volcanic sand and the temperature reading was over 200 degrees Fahrenheit. People come and are buried in cotton robes in a shallow hole for 10-15 minutes. It’s kind of like a sand steam room…. Finally, our visit to the Kinko pottery kiln was interesting. Here Korean potters have been making pottery since the 16th century. All in all it was a great day. The visit to Japan has been truly amazing….. a lot of beauty.