Kyushu Capering

This weekend I took a day off so that I could go a little further afield. I went to Nagasaki at the very end of the main body of Japan. It is a very pleasant city on the water and has a nice tram system that you can take for just 100Y per ride. First I took it to the to the peace park. This fountain symbolises the dove of peace and in the background you can see the peace statue. The peace park was much smaller than the one in Hiroshima but I actually liked it a bit more.
After walking around the park I went to the Atomic Bomb Museum, again it was smaller than the one in Hiroshima, but very well done.

Then I went to the Suwa-Jinja, Nagasaki's major shrine. In the garden there are a pair of 'stop lions' you tie a piece of string around one of their legs if you want to quit doing something. Being perfect, I didn't need to bother...
From the shrine I walked along the river to the Megane-Bashi (spectacles bridge so named for the reflection it makes in the water), Japan's oldest stone bridge. It was a pleasant walk along the river with lots of spring flowers in bloom.
I visited the interesting old Chinese Zen temple, Sofuku-ji and then headed on to Fukuoka. This is another nice city, although I preferred Nagasaki. This is its most famous building, ACROS, which, as you can see, has a terraced garden built of the side of it.
Walking through a mall there I found this interesting parade float. It was absolutely huge.

Ate some ramen at a shop recommended by my co-worker Jason and then headed back to the Kak.

Fast Cars and Fertility

This weekend I went to visit a fellow AEONite in Nagoya. Before meeting up with her I visited the Toyota Museum of Industry and Technology and had a lovely time. There are loads of displays of engine and their components, complete with push buttons so you can set them all running. Possibly even more fun were the industrial robots and large machinery, also controlled by push buttons, so I had a wonderful time making lots of noise.
After the museum I met up with Joanne and we went up the brand new Midland Square building with its superfast double-decker elevators. Then in the evening we went for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (before anyone comments, I have been in Japan EIGHT months, Japanese food has definitely lost its novelty factor, a blt on the other hand...) where I demolished this delicious brownie sundae.On the Monday we went to visit Joanne's local shrine in Komaki, which just happens to be a fertility shrine. Naturally much pointing and giggling ensued but I was very careful not to touch anything, just in case. :p
The other interesting thing that is happening right now in Japan is that the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom. Going to viewing parties is something of a national pastime. So I have seen many groups picnicking under the trees.