More Videos

Here's another YouTube video. This clip shows the surrounding area. As you can see, we are out in the middle of nowhere. The elevation is 700 meters which is about halfway up the side of Mt. Yufu. Some people say that this is the backside of the volcano. I think it's the best side. If you travel to the other side of the volcano, the crater is more visible. The terrain is rockier and it looks more dramatic...more like a volcano. I'll try to take pictures the next time I'm over there. Mt. Yufu is known as "Bungo Fuji" which means it's the Mt. Fuji of Kyushu. From 40 miles away, the volcano kind of looks like Fujisan...only smaller.

Mt. Tsurumi is close by. This volcano was on the "watch list" after last year's disastrous earthquakes. In the video clip is Mt. Garan. A famous hot spring is located there. We are near many hot springs. Beppu and Yufuin are a mecca for tourists seeking those natural wonders. The concentration of hot springs in this area is second only to Yellowstone National Park. This is probably a good thing since the hot springs seem to act like a relief valve. We haven't experienced an earthquake since we moved here.

I included one more video showing the outside of the house. Please don't laugh at Erika's garden. She just planted some carrots and other stuff, so the mounds look bare. I'll update as soon as we have more veggies. The wood pile has steadily grown. Erika has worked very hard at stacking and sorting the firewood. We should have enough wood to get us through this winter and part of the next.   George