no fun when you're the only one

I hadn't realized how busy I've been since September.  During the summer months it's as if time stands still.  There's not much to do at work and the hot hot heat essentially forces me to stay indoors.  But I guess at some point I must have decided that I was tired of staying indoors.  I look back at my calendar and realize that I had done quite a bit of things in the months of September, October, and early November.

Perhaps it was my trip to Shimonoseki that made me realize I should go out more and do things that I want to do.  Although I do enjoy being at home, I thought, I can always be at home, but I can't always be in Japan.


From when I was younger, I remembered seeing an informational pamphlet about Kyushu.  One of the places listed was Takachiho Gorge.  From the pictures, it looked absolutely gorgeous and I hoped one day I would be able to see it.  However many years later, I got to see it.

The drive was long but with good company, a long ride can be quite fun.  The drive took even longer due to earthquake damage in Kumamoto.  It was a shock to see how much damage occurred and how much damage still remains.  At times we were worried we'd never make it to Takachiho due to road closures.  Luckily, there was one road that remained open and after an additional 1-2 hours of detours, we made our way to Takachiho.

The gorge was surprisingly not as great as I thought it'd be.  Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful, but it didn't blow me away.  It was smaller than I thought and perhaps the fact that we couldn't ride a boat on that day made it a bit of a disappointment.  But, that was okay.  It was cool to see and I'm happy I was able to see it.

No pokemon go at takachiho

We then went to Kumamoto for dinner and had basashii (horse meat).  Honestly, if you didn't know it was horse, you'd never know.  It was good to say the least.

Next was a trip to Fukutsu to visit Mayajidake Shrine and while in the area, visit IKEA and Costco.  The highlight of this adventure was seeing 2 blossoms of what we assumed where cherry blossoms.  Also, the beach was empty as it was cold.

Then my family came to visit.  We visited our family in Japan.  Unfortunately, I was sick during their stay here.

Halloween came around.  As I spent too much money on my costume last year, it had to be used again this year.

Then I went to Tokyo/Chiba to go to Cycle Mode Chiba.  A bunch of friends from Hawaii came over and I was happy to look at bikes, ride bikes, and see friends.