Fukuoka.

Breakfast is the one meal of the day we like to keep ‘native’, or at least as close to what we are used to as possible.

The rest of the time we are up for experimentation.

The port city of Fukuoka, on Japan’s Kyushu Island, has offered us a bit of a challenge in this regard, as I like good coffee for breakfast. Our first challenge was finding a cafe that had an espresso machine, as most only serve the American filtered variety.

Eventually we did find Cafe Veloce, a chain of coffee shops that had big chrome espresso machines and, more importantly, staff who could use them.

We arrived in Fukuoka, by ferry from Busan, in the afternoon and after checking into the Hakata Miyako Hotel, which is right next to Hakata Station, we went exploring.

As if we hadn’t had enough of shrines in Korea, our first attraction in Japan was Sumiyoshi Shrine and then Shofukuji Zen Temple. At the temple a monk was hard at work removing grass cutting from the pond after the lawns had been mowed.

We had enough culture and went for a walk along the Naka-gawa River, where we came across the Red Light District of Fukuoka. This has become a trend as we also discovered the ‘Ladies of the Night’ in Busan.

The evening meal on our first day in Japan was yet another enjoyable challenge.

As few restaurants have an English menu, selecting what to order became a game of point and pick. On our second night on Fukuoka we were faced with a menu, entirely written in Japanese, without a picture in sight.

The next day it was back to the shrines, this time we visited Dazaifu Tenmangu and Tenkai Inarisha.

The most impressive was Dazaifu Tenmangu, founded in 905, with its 6,000 Asian Plum trees, bridges and ponds filled with very large, multi coloured Carp. However the most enjoyable was Tenkai Inarisha, with a steep walk up to the Shrine through many bright orange Shinto Gates.

Late in the afternoon we took the subway down to the bay area to see the Fukuoka Dome, built in 1993, and home to the Hawks baseball team. The stadium can hold 38,561 fans and was Japan’s first with a retractable roof.

I had seen it from the ferry, coming into Fukuoka, and believe me it’s a lot more impressive from the sea than the land.

Kumamoto.

The next day we were traveling again, this time it was the Bullet Train to Kumamoto. It was an effortless journey, once we had worked out where the platform was.

Our hotel room wasn’t ready so we headed into Kumamoto to do some site seeing.

When travelling between cities, I carry an iPad and MacBook Air in my camera bag, that’s about 9kg.  It was too heavy to carry around when taking snaps, so I just took my Sony RX100, compact camera into Kumamoto.

This proved to be a test as I didn’t have my normal range of lenses to choose from.

We visited Kumamoto Castle and Hosokawa Mansion, where we kept on meeting a group of US sailors who were on shore leave and doing a bit of sight seeing.

Kumamoto Castle’s history dates back to 1467, when fortifications were established by Ideta Hidenobu.

The castle was besieged in 1877 during the Satsuma Rebellion, and the castle keep and other parts were burned down. In 1960, the castle keep was reconstructed using concrete.

From 1998 to 2008, the castle complex underwent restoration work, during which most of the 17th century structures were rebuilt.

The craftsmanship in the restoration is meticulous. The features of the original castle and palace were copied from artifacts, excavated from the site and then reproduced using the tools of the era. Even the painted screens were copied to perfection.

A walk around the castle grounds, where groups of teenage school children were playing in the parkland, brought us to Hosokawa Mansion. This is the former residence of the Feudal Lord Gyobu. It’s a huge house, measuring 990 square meters, with a labyrinth of verandas, corridors and rooms, all set in a beautifully manicured Japanese garden.

There was no point returning to the hotel, so we took the tourist bus back to the city centre and walked through the Shimotori Arcade.

We found a strange bar that was serving prosciutto, in a Spanish style on a metal rack. We then found ourselves again in a Japanese restaurant, with no English menu, or pictures to guide us. However we did manage to order a delicious meal of salad, grilled beef and an excellent barbecued fish.

We are getting quite good at this.

A visit to Mount Aso was on the agenda and the rain had returned.

It was an interesting train ride from Kumamoto via 2 trains and a bus. One train went on spur-lines and switchbacks and had us continually wondering if we were on the right track.

Aso is reputedly world’s largest Caldera (Caldera means ‘large pan’ in Portuguese) and there is still volcanic activity. In fact the cable car ride, that goes over the volcano, was shut due to a ‘Crater Eruption Warning’.

The Caldera, especially Kusasenri, is a very fertile valley and home to Aso’s famous beef, known as Aka Ushi.

The best way to keep dry, and entertain ourselves, was to spend time in the Aso Volcano Museum. It had interactive displays showing the geology and history of the area. It also had photos of other Calderas around the world. It was then that we realised that we had been to quite a few. Truk Lagoon in Micronesia, Santorini in Greece, Taupo in New Zealand and Mount Teide in Tenerife.

On the train ride back to Kumamoto a chap, with a bulging plastic bag, started offering the passengers sweets. He then produced cold Asahi Beer, also to share around.

The Japanese are very friendly.

Beppu.

Our last stop on Kyushu Island was Beppu, on the north east coast.

Our hotel, was in the centre of the ‘Jugoku Meruri’ or Hells Area of Kannawa Beppu. It’s a series of eight parks or themed entertainment areas.

We visited Umi-Jigoku which had thermal springs, baths and gardens.

Steam is everywhere, gushing from a network of pipes that crisscrosses the park and the entire town.

The park boasts a 3km walking path. We only managed to find a few hundred meters of track as everything else was roped off.

There was a pond and glass house with tropical water lilies and other exotic flowers.

The hills behind Beppo are like a natural, yet artificial environment. The heated subterranean waters creates a tropical climate, in an area that is 33 degrees north of the equator.

We stayed in Kuradaya Ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel and spa.

Low tables, no chairs, no beds, as we understand them, and you are encouraged to wear your dressing gown or Kimono around the hotel.

Dinner in the Ryokan was as much an experience as a meal.

Yuki Tsubosaka was there to introduce us to the hotel and explained what the schedule was. She was also our hostess for the evening meal. The entire menu was interpreted from Japanese into English, with Yuki constantly referring either to her hand written notes or an electronic dictionary.

We ate in a room, on our own, that was behind sliding doors. This was to be ‘Our room’, for both breakfast and dinner, for the remainder of our stay.

Being behind closed doors was probably a good thing as our chop-stick etiquette wasn’t up to scratch.

Good and bad.

Having almost missed the train to Jeonju and Jirisan National Park – bad, the tour company shouted us dinner in Jeonju and breakfast in Jirisan as compensation – good.

Very few westerners travel in this part of Korea so we were lucky to have an excellent guide, Chulwoong, to show us the way.

Chulwoong loved to walk and talk so, over 3 days we spent many pleasant hours hiking in the mountains and exploring the numerous temples and small towns in the region.

Close to Jeonju is Han-ok Village a traditional Korean township or ‘Slow Town’ as they are known. In Han-ok we walk through the village, had tea in a traditional tea house and marvelled at the craftsmanship of the new traditional Korean buildings being constructed.

“Tradition” is a word you hear a lot in Korea, as maintaining the old ways is very important to them.

We also met a group of photographers who were travelling around the area, snapping everything in site, so they could sell prints in the city.

The fisrt sign of the big Christian community, over 40% of the Korean population is Christian, was the large Catholic Cathedral in Han-ok Village. At night you can see many crosses illuminating the sky around the Jeonju area, especially from the lookout behind the town. Climbing there was good exercise after our gratis Korean dinner.

From then on we weren’t surprised to see churches everywhere in south.

The following day Chulwoong drove us to Baegyangsa Temple, built in 632 as the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The temple, with its craggy mountain backdrop, is near a river and along its banks the red Korean Lilies were in full bloom.

Interestingly, the local tourists were there as much for the flowers, as the temple.

From there we went to Seonunsan Temple and Seonunsan Provincial Park. They were setting up for a local festival and there were hundreds of colorful ‘Wishing Lanterns’ hanging from a large metal frame.

We again had tea. This one, served in a pavilion by the temple, was provided free by local volunteers, however we did give a small donation to show our appreciation.

The Koreans love to walk and in Seonunsan Provincial Park we were accompanied by hundreds of hikers. They had come down from Seoul by the coach load and walked for three or four hours then headed back to the city.

Finally we made a slight diversion to the west coast to see the tidal flats and the Samyangsa Salt Paddies, where we caught up again with the professional photographers we had met in Han-ok Village.

They were still madly snapping away.

We then travelled, from west to east, through the mountains and over the valleys to Jirisan.

The road system, especially the mountain tunnels and viaducts, are a match for any of those found in Europe.

And just like in Europe, you are constantly being passed at high speed by black and silver sedans and SUVs, however they aren’t Mercs, BMWs or Audis, that race past, but Hyundais, Kias and SsangYongs.

However, unlike Europe and a lot like Australia, they will pass you on either side.

After overnighting at Hanwha Resort we walked to the peak of Mount Nogodan, 1507m, in Jirisan National Park.

Over the last 10 years the government has replanted the vegetation and it’s now returned to a more original state. Tourists can only access the peak for five hours a day and they close it completely during winter.

There were walkers of all ages, from primary school children to retirees.

After 3.5 hours walking in the mountains we discovered Caffe Bene and had the best coffee of the entire trip – so far.

It was then back onto the freeway and off to Busan, a regional port and resort city in the south east of the peninsula.

The last time I was in ‘Honkers’ was back in 1979 and the Brits still owned the place.

Despite the change of landlord the number plates are still very British and the currency is still the Hong Kong Dollar.

Neon signs are now bigger and brighter and with the change in technology there’s now a giant plasma TV on every corner.

The Mid-Autumn Festival provided us with even more lights.

We went to Victoria Park where thousands queued patiently to visit the ‘Rising Moon.’ This 10 meter high light sculpture was made from recycled water bottles and changed colour to the rhythm of the accompanying music.

There have always been sky scrapers in Hong Kong, especially the apartment blocks that cling bravely to the coastline along the harbor. Now there are a few more larger ones showing off the Chinese love of stunning contemporary architecture. Unfortunately these have been built at the expense of the old Colonial buildings, that are now even harder to find.

The people are as friendly as ever and always willing to redirect a lost tourist. While most of the ‘Hard Yakka’ is still done by hand.

Transport is even more efficient now, with the introduction of the Octopus Card – it’s a Myki that actually works. The Star Ferry hasn’t changed since 1979, in fact I think that the same boats are still operating and run by the same old salty staff.

The taxi service is also a relic from last century and runs entirely with a fleet of Toyota Crown Comforts, again straight from the 1970s.

We did the usual Star Ferry crossing from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island and took the tram up to Victoria Peak. Here we did notice a change, the tram has been upgraded and the tourist centre on Victoria Peak, Peak Towers, is now a new chrome and glass complex. It was refurbished in 2006 and offers 360 degree views around the island.

As part of our ‘Rediscovering Hong Kong Adventure’ we walked around the Sheung Wan district. This is one of the oldest parts of the island and where the British first settled. There we found the Man Mo Temple, built in 1847 and, unfortunately for us, undergoing major renovations. Even here bamboo is still the preferred material for scaffolding.

On our final day we did the ‘Family Walk’ on Lamma Island from Yung Shue Wan to Sok Kwu Wan. Sadly the power station was our constant companion on the climb out of Yung Shue Wan.

The biggest change however was in the number of signs telling you what and what not to do. They were everywhere, on the beaches, parks, streets, monuments and transport, warning you of the dire consequences of running foul of the local authorities.

However, in their own charming way, the residents of Hong Kong managed to ignore them all.

I have just had the sensor cleaned on my DSLR and was taking a few test snaps along the Hampton foreshore.

It was a warm winter’s day and this Black-shouldered Kite was looking for lunch. Moments later it dived into the bush and then came away with something small and furry. Apparently mouse is their preferred cuisine.

Good hunting by the Kite and good fortune for me.

Pete Coles, a friend of ours from the UK, sent us a link to the website of an obscure American Street Photographer.

Vivian Maier (1926 – 2009) was born in New York to a French mother and Austrian father. She spent her early years in France and started taking photos on a Kodak Brownie box camera. On returning to New York in 1952 Vivian purchased a Rolleiflex, square format camera and her photography blossomed.

Many of her photos feature portraits of the urban poor, shot in a manner that is strangly contemporary, especially for post war America.

She supported herself as a nanny in New York and Chicago but her passion was photography. Everywhere she went she would obsessively take photos, most of which were never printed or even developed.

She kept her photos in storage and the negatives were eventually sold off in 2007 because of a non-payment of rent.

John Maloof was one of several collectors who purchased her work. He discovered over 100,000 images in black and white and colour, plus 8mm film and a large collection of her memorabilia. You can read her story and see some of her amazing photographs on vivianmaier.com.