日本語ポスト

私のつもは、このブォグで日本語を書きます。今、日本語がとても難です。たくさん間違いあります。でも、もし日本語を上手くなる、私はいつもれんしゅうします。たぶん、２間月で日本語の先生といっしょに勉強しました。漢字がちょっと不可能です、でもコンピュタではよりやさしです。ファイト！

今日夜私はｂｂｑに行きます。よかったですね。

Takachiho

The winding route 218

Taking a forty minute car ride into the volcanic heartland of Kyushu is rewarding enough by itself. The roadside scenery will transfix the unintiated. Mountains, steep and carpeted by trees rise one after the other as far as the eye can see; the valleys far below is where human civilization has been forged into the landscape. Where the land lies flat enough, rice paddies and terraces of green tea plantations with its lush and sumptuous shades of dark green ensnare my eyes. And yet, all this scenery is ubiquitous in Kyushu. One part of the road sits under the shadow of some enormous cliff, and green vegetation saddles its crest. This is the road to the legendary gorge Takachiho.



Hinokage town (日之影町）

Takachiho itself is archaeic in origin and with its the unique wonder it is not difficult to see why it has fuelled great fantasies. It is the stuff of real Japanese legend. Most famously, perhaps, is that the gorge is where the ancestors of Japan's first Emperor, Jimmu, descended from the heavens. Ninigi, Jimmu's great grandfather, was sent by Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. He was charged with the task of pacifying a wild Japan. As Ninigi himself was the grandson of the Goddess, the subsequent emperors have all been regarded as divine beings, a tradition that continued until the end of the 2nd World War.

It is a place that that rattles your senses. Everywhere you look something will catch your wandering eye; it is quiet except for the water and the cries of the insects, and the lively plants are smelling sweet of nature's scent. Tiny paths are found alongside the water. Some lead along the gorge, others to the Shinto shrines and some probably to nowhere and back again. I came to Takachiho with my co-worker, Motoko and her brother, Yuuzo. We took the steep path up to the Shinto shrine. The trail was at times difficult to climb, either due to the steepness or the occaisional vines that crept down from the green ceilings to block the way. The sun was completely blocked out as we walked up and down, alongside boulders the size of houses, with the sound of rushing water our trusted comapanion. It probably took us the best part of an hour to climb to the shrine. We paid our respects as is customary and made an offering, for which you are permitted to take a fortune, that will predict the coming days prosperity in various firlds, such as love, health, money, travel and lots more that I could not remember as I sit here. It seems, perhaps because of novelty and the grandeur of the setting, much more convincing than a horoscope. Inside this shrine, and in some other shrines I have visited, there were two trees that were joined at the base of the trunk to give the impression of 'tree twins'. All in all, the trek to Takachiho shrine rewarded us with great sights, sounds and smells and in reaching our destination a sense of unparalleled peace descended on us like a thin viel of silk floating calmly to the ground. We eventually made our leave, taking the main exit that avoids the gorge and leads into the town.

Welcome to Nobeoka

Nobeoka city is found in the north of Miyazaki prefecture on the island of Kyushu. Kyushu is the southern-most of the main islands of Japan and, with an area of roughly 35,000 square kilometres, it is the third biggest. It is about 3 and half times smaller than England. In the last census, the population of Nobeoka was estimated at over 130,000.

Nobeoka exists in a fairly remote part of Japan. The closest cities, Miyazaki and Oita, are about 90 kilometres to the south, and 120 kilometres to the north, respectively. The city fronts onto the Pacific ocean and is also surrounded by mountains.

The climate is hot and humid in the summer and mild in the winter. Temperatures recently have been hitting the mid thirties consistantly. Currently, there is a lot of rain, thunder and impressive lightning that suggests the typhoon season in approaching.


Imayama

But what is the city itself like? Despite 130,000 people living here, the city itself is small. The reality of Nobeoka betrays its city status; for example, you can walk down one of the main roads and not see a single person. Another might be that there is no Starbucks; surely every city in the industrialised world has a Starbucks these days. That there is not is something to pleased about. However, a lot of people, particularly the younger generations, complain that there is nothing to do here. Maybe if Starbucks did come here, there would be a renewed love for the city from the dissatisfied youth; I imagine its opening to be something of a red letter day. Still, enough of Starbucks. The city boasts so much natural wealth. The mountains are great for hiking; the rivers are clean and refreshing, and there is a very, very long beach too. Personally, I enjoy simply walking around aimlessly, through the numerous rice paddies, into the mountains or the neighbouring towns. The city is not really a city in my mind, just a gathering of people in a place happened to blessed with a superb environment.

Nobeoka, a city nestled in the Kyushu mountains and caressed by the lapping waves of the Pacific exists as it does primarily because of Asahi Kasei. This economic powerhouse, one of the world's biggest, has been resilient enough to withstand the economic depression that has reeked havoc all over Japan and the world. This company has so many fingers in so many pies, but I am informed that it is most renowned for chemical and fibre production. In Nobeoka, a great proportion of the people are employed by the factories and offices that are scattered around the city. The two main plants are perhaps the most helpful navigational tools for someone living in Nobeoka; with their two huge smoke chimleys, painted red and white and visible from virtually everywhere, you can easily find your way. Admittedly, the city's intrinsic beauty is a little spoiled by their presence, but eventually you begin to accept them as part of the charm of the city.