Mount Takasaki houses over 1500 wild monkeys and they live in a colony. The monkeys are fed regularly by park wardens so that they would not disrupt the local farmers nearby by wrecking their crops. But these quirky creatures are very entertaining to see especially when they live together in the park. A visit to Mount Takasaki is best combined with visiting the nearby aquarium, Umitamago Aquarium.
Check out this clip of a feeding time with the monkeys
Takasakiyama Monkey Park can be reached in a 10 minute bus ride from central Beppu (Beppu Station or Beppu Kitahama). Get off at “Takasakiyama” bus stop.
The “Monkey Marine Ticket” for 2200 Yen consists of a round trip from Beppu to the monkey park and admission to the monkey park and nearby Umitamago Aquarium.
Saga (佐賀市, Saga-shi?) is the capital of Saga Prefecture, located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.
Every fall Saga holds the “Saga International Balloon Fiesta” in the dry riverbed of the Kase River. A quarter of the visitors are from Saga. The number of all visitors was about 15 million in 2005. Balloonists from many countries enter this event.
On October 1, 2005, the city merged with the towns of Morodomi, Yamato and Fuji (all from Saga District) and the village of Mitsuse from Kanzaki District to form the new city of Saga. With this creation, the city became neighbors with the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture. On October 1, 2007 the towns of Higashiyoka, Kawasoe, and Kubota were incorporated into Saga, further expanding its borders. Although it is the capital of Saga Prefecture, it can be said to be within the Fukuoka metropolitan
Some interesting points to note while visiting the city would be the Saga Castle. A rare ancient architecture where the castle was built on plains instead of a hilltop and is surrounded by walls instead.
Fukuoka is in the Top 10 largest city in Japan and the largest city in Kyushu. This city is bustling with people and one of its major attraction is the food stalls or Yatai. The open stalls in Fukuoka is possibly the city’s best known symbol! There are over 150 yatai across the city, with the highest concentration in the centrally located Nakagawa and Tenjin districts. Fukuoka is also known for many other touristy attractions such as:-
Canal City Hakata: A large shopping and entertainment complex. Shofukuji Temple: Japan’s first Zen temple. Ohori Park: Public park with pond. Fukuoka Castle Ruins: Ruins of the city’s former castle. Momochi Seaside Park: Futuristic district along the waterfront. Dazaifu: Historic town 30 minutes outside of Fukuoka.
But we’re gonna focus on the street food in Fukuoka – th Yatai’s!
Typical fares you can expect from these street food vendors are yakitoris, hot pot(oden), and the famous Hakata Ramen, a local noodle dish featuring relatively thin ramen noodles in a pork bone based soup (tonkotsu).
Various types of alcoholic drinks can also be found at the yatai. You know, what this means? It means a whole bunch of tipsy people are co-mingling in the same area. It’s definitely a great place to know more Japanese people cos everyone’s so uninhibited from the alcohol!
The Yatai is open from 6pm to 2am, 6 days a week – the off days varies from stall to stall but it’s usually sunday that’s their off day.
When you go to Japan, you must attend a Sumo match because it’s a traditional japanese sport. Baseball may be big in Japan but Sumo Wrestlers are bigger, literally and figuratively. :)
The sport is surrounded by ceremony and ritual. The Japanese consider Sumo a gendai budō: a modern Japanese martial art, even though the sport has a history spanning many centuries.
The Sumo tradition is very ancient, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt for purification, from the days Sumo was used in the Shinto religion.
Sumo Wrestling
The basic rule of Sumo is very simple; the first sumo that touches the floor with something else apart from his sole or leaves the ring before his opponent, loses. The fights usually last about a few seconds and its very rare for it to last for up to 1 min or longer.
Six tournaments are held each year and each tournament lasts 15 days. I don’t know how many fights go on in one day with each fight lasting a few seconds. I think they must be many fights but there are also the traditional rituals held before and after a match as well. It’s definitely something that’s worth experiencing.
Three of the 15 tournaments is held in Tokyo (Jan, May, Sept), and one each in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July) and Fukuoka (November).
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