Trip to Miyazaki

 October was a busy month. Stained glass was put on hold until I completed a new wood shed. More on that in another post. We also took a trip to Miyazaki for a few days. This may sound strange, but I haven't been to the ocean in over ten years. We live in the mountains and the nearest large body of water is Beppu Bay...not exactly the Pacific Ocean. The strange part is that Japan is made up of islands so it would seem natural that the ocean is conveniently around us. Nope. We had to drive several hours (on the highway) to find the nearest ocean beach. I've never driven through so many tunnels. I lost count after 20. These tunnels range from 500 meters to over 3 kilometers. The trip was well worth it and I had my cravings for the ocean satisfied. The feel of the west coast of the U.S. is much different than the east coast of Japan. For one thing it's much drier. The climate in Miyazaki is warm and dry. It almost reminded me of Hawaii with all of the palm trees and lack of fog. It's beautiful, but it's not like Big Sur or Point Reyes with the dramatic rocky cliffs and the fog rolling-in in the evenings. Access to the beaches is limited to only a few choice spots. This makes it easy for vendors to catch many tourists in a short time. I found that aspect very unattractive. We stayed at two hotels, The Garden Terrace and The Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort. The Garden Terrace is small (only 12 guests allowed) and the room and food were terrific. I highly recommend this place. On the other hand, the Sheraton is huge (43 floors). The food was mediocre, and the service was nothing to brag about. I think it's all about the name brand stuff and I really don't care about that. Nice big room with views, but that's about it. We stayed on the 25th floor. That was high enough for me. Definitely overrated for what you get, and I certainly won't stay there again. 

I'll include some pics from the trip here:

Downtown Miyazaki

Palm trees everywhere

A small island off the coast. Interesting rock formations, but not much fun to walk on.

Small description of the formations

Welcome to the Hawaii of Japan

Quite a few remote lighthouses line the coast. Makes sense since these formations would rip a ship apart.

The beach is made up of tiny seashells.

This is an UNESCO World Heritage site. Translated...tourist trap.

Long story short, these statues are from Easter Island and given as a gift to Japan. The previous picture shows a structure that is aligned with the sun and casts a narrow beam of light onto the middle statue marking the seasons. Honestly, I think it would be cheaper to use a calendar instead, but where's the fun in that.

Japan uses these concrete thingies (is that a word?) to prevent coastal erosion. The large structure in the background is the Sheraton Hotel. Kinda sticks out like a sore thumb.

Ah yes!!! The highlight of the trip...electric bicycles!! Now that was FUN!!

Finishing up...views from our room at the Sheraton. Yeah, it's surrounded by a championship golf course, but I don't play golf. Well anyway, it was a once in a lifetime experience and I look forward to our next trip next year to Nagasaki.