Spring Scenery of March, the Exquisite Island of Kyushu

-World Toursim Cities Federation Promotes Air China Special Routes to Japan for Tourists

Located at the southwestern tip of Japan, Kyushu is one of the four islands of Japan. It consists of eight counties, namely, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima and Okinawa. To cater to the needs of more people to go on tours to Japan and tap more individualized routes, World Toursim Cities Federation, together with groups chosen from the press and travel agencies by Air China, a member of World Toursim Cities Federation and the Kyushu Tourism Bureau was invited to go on an investigation tour to Kyushu to promote Air China special routes and give advice and suggestions on tours to Japan.

Written by: Na Sanjin Images Courtesy of: KTPO, Liu Jianfeng, QUANJING

Nature awakes in spring.

The CA953 flight from Beijing to Fukuoka passed through Dalian, where, at Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, we transferred flights. Even though we had to make a connecting flight, the flight still arrived at an acceptable time. Since my plans for the first day were not interfered with, there was no need to get up too early. Throughout the entire flight, I was able to experience Air China's most enthusiastic and professional service.

Our flight arrived at the Fukuoka Airport on schedule. As soon as we entered the arrivals lobby we immediately saw the representatives from Air China and the Kyushu Tourism Organization who had been waiting there for a long time. It was during that cheerful welcoming ceremony that we began to explore Kyushu. Although five days are not long enough for us to visit every corner of Kyushu, we will be able to see the general humanity there.

Kyushu is located in the Southwest of Japan and is one of Japan's four largest islands. Kyushu consists of eight prefectures: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, ita, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa. Kyushu boasts a total population of 14 million and is currently the center of Japan's high-tech industry. Kyushu houses the most of Japan's unknown and mysterious islands and is replete with diverse culture and natural scenery that has been passed down for generations.

Fukuoka: A Mountain Range of Happiness

Fukuoka's name was derived from the meaning "paradise atop the hills", afterwards people also began to refer to Fukuoka as the "mountain range of happiness". Fukuoka Harbor is practically a "must stop location" when going on a Japanese ocean liner cruise. Kyushu International Sightseeing Square (abbreviated as "Kiss") is currently Kyushu's most extensive self experience tourist facility. Located 15 minutes away from Hakata Port by car, the Hakata district in Fukuoka presents a complete package where one can eat, shop, travel, and be highly entertained. In the Hakata district, you can buy specialty products from all eight of Kyushu's prefectures and eat as much popular Kyushu delicacies as humanly possible, all while appreciating cultural Kyushu performances like Japanese dance and floral arrangement. The representative of the Kyushu Tourism Organization piqued our interest towards this mysterious island with a simple several minute long introduction. After everyone had watched the Japanese song and dance performance, they moved forward onto the next part of the journey with their curiosity and expectations.

Travel Kitsukiand Wear a Kimono

They all say that "when in Rome, do as the Romans do". When coming to Japan, in addition to eating delicious food, there is one more thing that tourists shouldn't miss out on: the experience of wearing a kimono. Speaking of the kimono experience, the first thing that everyone potentially thinks of is Kyoto and Nara, very few people know about Kitsuki. Kitsuki is usually known as "little Kyoto" and is a city in the northeastern part of its prefecture. Kitsuki has been branded by travelers as "one of the places where it is suitable to wear a kimono and walk amongst the historical roads". I previously saw a travel video in which a young woman was wearing a kimono and taking photos all over the streets of Japan, I really envied her. This time I finally had the chance to experience it for myself.

I entered a kimono rental shop on the side of the road known as "Warakuan" and whose business hours are from 10:00a.m. – 4:00p.m. Most of the tourists who came to try on the kimonos are Korean or Chinese. Wearing a kimono was more complicated than I had thought. From picking out a kimono, inner clothes, a belt, the design on the belt, and a small pouch to putting on the kimono and selecting the head piece and shoes, every procedure needed at least 30 minutes. Furthermore, I was assisted by store employees during the entire process. The employees all very patiently help every customer pick out their clothes and accessories, afterwards they guide you to where you can change your clothes and advise you to make sure that you have all your valuables and belongings. It costs 2400 Yen per day for the Kimono rental (accessories such as head pieces and hand bags have their own individual charge).

The Hometown of Kumamoto Bear

The things that leave the deepest impressionson people about Kumamoto.

Tips:

1. The size of the kimono is measured by height with the most common sizes being small/medium.

There are less choices available for woman who are more than 170cm tall, these women should go early to pick out their kimono so that they can get an edge on the crowd.

2. When wearing a Japanese kimono, the left lapel should always be on top and the right lapel should always be on the bottom, remember to NEVER wear them backwards. This is because the right lapel is only used on top when dressing a body for a funeral.

3. When planning your kimono experience, you should plan on wearing a low collar shirt that day.

Having an exposed collar protruding from the kimono is a type of violation.

4. People who are concerned about cleanliness do not have to worry. Japanese people highly value public health and each kimono is cleaned and disinfected after being tried on by travelers.

Prefecture are its ambassador "Kumamoto Bear" and the April 14, 2016 earthquake. "Kumamoto" is known by the locals as "Minister Kumamoto" and his foolish expression and wacky behavior is well known by all. After the earthquake, Minister Kumamoto posted a sorrowful photograph of his back on Twitter. The earthquake brought disaster upon the local people as well as greatly influenced the tourism of Kyushu. "Kumamoto City", one of Japan's three largest cities, was seriously damaged in the earthquake and experts predicted that many years would be required to restore the city to its previous glory. After nearly a year of emergency road and building construction, the Kumamoto prefecture has nearly been restored to its former glory, the Kyushu Shinkansen has resumed full operation, and the sorrow surrounding "Minister Kumamoto" has regressed to reveal his foolish and playful demeanor. Residents have gradually rose from the aftermath of the earthquake...

Country of Volcanoes: The Active "Mount Aso"

Japan is well known for being the "country of volcanoes". Possessing nearly one tenth of the world's volcanoes, Japan is a country that suffers from many earthquakes. These volcanoes are mainly distributed throughout large islands in Japan such as Honshu, Kyushu, and Hokkaido. Mount Aso is Japan's famous active volcano. Located in the northeastern part of Kumamoto Prefecture it is a typical caldera crater volcano. (A caldera crater volcano is a volcano where the volcanic crater has suffered damage and taken the shape of a pot-like depression and formed another volcano on top). Mount Aso is also one of the most frequently active volcanoes in Japan with the most recent explosion being in October of 2016. Although there were no casualties as a result of the explosion, the Japanese Meteorological Agency issued a volcanic warning, prohibiting personnel from entering the mountains. Currently, visitors can only look at this active volcano from afar.

Take You to See the Most Beautiful Nightscape

Nagasaki is a well-known city off the west coast of Kyushu Island. Nagasaki's nightscape is known as one of the "top three nightscapes in the world" by the Japanese media (with the other two being Hong Kong and Monaco). Mount Inasa, located 333 meters above sea level, is the best place to view the nightscape of Nagasaki. I recommend that those who go to see the nightscape ascend

the mountain a little earlier because not only is the night scenery of Mount Inasa beautiful but the sunset as well.

Located in Sasebo, Nagasaki, Huis Ten Bosch is a theme park depicting medieval European street scenes and an area of 152 hectares which is twice as big as Tokyo Disneyland. Current day pass pricing is as follows: adults: 6400 yen, seniors: 65 years of age and older: 5900 yen, Students (high school and junior high): 5400 yen, and children (4 years old - elementary school): 4000 yen. Prices

for other types of fares such as two day passes are dictated at the entrance window. In the courtyard, flowers are in full bloom throughout the year, the beautiful night lights are dazzling and brilliant, tens of thousands of tulips compete to bloom, and millions of LED lights illuminate the entire park. Huis Ten Bosch has its own resort hotel and the price varies from person to person and can be anywhere from a few hundred yuan to over a thousand yuan. If you choose to live here then you are sure to have a fairy tale experience.

The Town of Hot springs: A Refreshing Travel

The Kyushu Hot Springs are famous throughout Japan, but the most famous are the Oita prefecture hot springs. The land of Oita prefecture is rich in hot spring resources. I heard earlier that Beppu is a well-known hot spring town in Oita which is home to the Hells of Beppu (which includes the seven hot springs of the "sea hell", the "boiling mud bubble hell", the "white pond hell", the "cooking pot hell", the "monster mountain hell", the "blood pond hell", and the "spout hell"). The hot springs of the Hells of Beppu can reach up to 90 degrees. Although the hot springs are not for bathing, they are extremely special. It is said that if you dig a meter into the ground along Beppu's coast then there will be hot spring water.

What I must remind everyone about is that Kyushu's hot springs are rich in minerals which are said to have a good effect on skin diseases and arthritis. Different from China's domestic hot springs, before entering the hot springs in Japan, one must first wash their body and hair. Furthermore, towels and wash cloths are certainly not permitted in the hot spring pool. After exiting the hot spring, you can then wipe off your body, in this way the minerals can remain on the skin and make it smoother.

Completely Mesmerizing Food

The Japanese food that we often eat in China is usually nothing more than ramen and sushi, these commonly seen dishes. In Japan one can really experience the essence of Japanese ingredients. What can most embody the characteristics of Japanese cuisine are Kaiseki-ryori and Shippoku-ryori.

First let us talk about Kaiseki. Kaiseki is like our set meals, it is a full course that includes cold dishes, hot dishes, soup, rice, and snacks. The most commonly seen Kaiseki-ryori start from cold dishes such as appetizers and sashimi, and end with rice and vegetables. However, in order to cater to tour groups who want to eat unique Japanese cuisine but have limited time there are currently some bars and restaurants that will serve all their dishes at once, filling the table and accommodating to the traveler's time schedules. This may be more in line with the eating habits of Chinese people, the price is also quite inexpensive, averaging at about 100 yuan per person.

Shippoku- ryori originates from China, where the first Japanese character ship is from the Chinese zhuozi for "table" and the Japanese character poku is from the Chinese zhuobu for "tablecloth". The main components for Shippoku- ryori are: soup, tea, large plate, medium plate, small plate, side dishes, stewed goods, rice cake tofu soup, and fruit. Side dishes are divided into five dishes, seven dishes, and nine dishes with seven dishes being the most common. At first, all the small dishes are placed on the table, while eating and drinking soup the other dishes will be served. It is possible that because there is a specialty dish from Nagasaki, Kakuni, within Shippoku- ryori that Shippoku is more suitable than Kaisekiryori to the tastes of Chinese people.

However, the price is too expensive at about an average of 200 yuan per person.

Tips:

Kakuni is a specialty dish of Nagasaki and is also a variant of Dongpo Pork in Japan.

Finally, there are a few things to pay special attention to:

1. Passengers travelling from Beijing on Air China flight CA953 do not need to get up too early because this flight departs from T3 domestic departure, eliminating the time that would be needed to take the small train to the international departures gate. For those who want to visit the

duty-free shop Dalian Airport, Fukuoka Airport, and Beijing, T3 has them all.

2. in Japan, whether you go shopping at the supermarket or to the vending machine to buy something, in every place that requires cash you will always find yourself with a pile of coins. Thus, you should be sure to prepare a coin purse.

3. As recently as 100 years ago, Kyushu began promoting the tourism industry. As a result, although the structure of many hotel facilities is rather old, the environment is very good and the rooms are very clean. There is no guarantee that every room in each hotel has wifi. So, if you are the type of person that can’t go without the internet then you must prepare a phone card or rent a good mobile wifi device in advance.