Yanagawa is on the island of Kyushu which is one of the four major islands of Japan. It is also the farthest south of the major islands. For this trip, we used a variety of transportation modes. We took taxis to the train station. Our first train segment was Kyoto to Hakata. For this segment we went on the bullet train, commonly known as the Shinkansen. We should have these in the States. They are super fast, super clean, super nice. All the trains we rode on were clean and nice but these were even better. Click on the picture of Toshie to see our bullet train arriving.
When we arrived at Hakata in the island of Kyushu, we had to take taxis to transfer to another station for the train to Yanagawa. When we first arrived at this station we had a few minutes and we were standing on the corner. I heard what sounded like "Coming Through the Rye". Then I heard another song. It took a moment to realize that these songs were being played to tell the pedestrians when to cross the street. One song for crossing the main street and another for crossing the side street. I recorded one but you have to listen closely because of the traffic noise. Click on the picture of the pedestrians.
<--- Click to see the arrival of the bullet train.
Click to hear the street crossing music. --->
Once we arrived in Yanagawa, we took a van to our next mode of transport. They called these boats but they reminded me of the "punts" that we went on in England. These boats are propelled by pushing a long rod into the ground and "pushing" the boat along.
Our second train ride from Hakata to Yanagawa was also very nice and clean but more like a local. They had the "subway" type maps of the line and the stops.
Of course we had to be properly attired for our boat trip in the sun.
It was a very relaxing and quiet trip gliding through some lush green canals, some narrow passages, under some low over-passes.
At one point we passed by what appeared to be a little store setup on a boat.
We also passed a number of beautiful homes. I don't know if there are fish in the canals but I did see this impressive net system. It's the only one I saw during our "voyage".
We weren't the only people on the canals. We saw a few other boats including this one with what looks like a school group.
Of course one of the first things one must do at a new stopping place is - BANQUET!
Above we have the gang ready to go. Below are three of the dishes from the night's banquet. These were new dishes for us. All were delicious.
A new day, a new adventure. This was the day to go to Kurume and visit an Ikat weaver. This is a famous technique where the yarn is tied and then dyed with indigo dye. When the tied yarn is dipped into the indigo dye, the spots where it is tied remain white while the rest takes on the indigo color. It is important that the yarn is well tied in exactly the right spots so it will yield the desired pattern when it is woven.
We didn't try with yarn but we did tie and dip some pieces of cloth. The results were scarves with some interesting patterns.
Here's Granny inspecting the indigo, preparing to dip her piece of cloth into the vats of heated indigo and displaying her finished product. My creation is shown below left.
Click on the picture below to see a You Tube video of the Ikat weaving process.
Below are pictures of some of the other machinery and also some of the other cloth that is woven here.
After lunch it was off to the train for our trip to Yufuin.
