All too soon it is time to leave Hasami. We have had a great experience here, highlighted by spending time at the Onsen and having dinner at a local restaurant. We have made some memorable connections at the Bliss Hotel starting with the woman who did the tea ceremony for us and also with a young man, originally from Bangladesh, Rizman who works at the hotel.
We enjoyed getting to know Rizman. He goes out of his way to offer personalized service to the guests and he certainly made our stay special.
We had a great stay here. The onsen has therapeutic mineral water and we found it to be very effective. Our hotel gave us a voucher for free admission. It is next door to our hotel.
We have many things we want to do today starting with the Kyushu Ceramics Museum. It is about 10 km from here and is up a huge hill. We have been told if you can only do one thing in this area, make sure you go to this museum. Wow, it is extraordinary and we highly recommend it.. Surprisingly, the museum is free. The exhibits are interesting and you leave with an understanding of the history and the craft of porcelain pottery.
This bridge is so unlike modern bridges…eye catching. This bridge is also a marker for us as we know that after the bridge there is a long, steep climb for a number of km. Last night, we had the joy of riding down this hill.
We have arrived at the Kyushu Ceramics Museum. We are certainly getting stronger on our trikes. It feels good to be able to conquer big hills as we have this morning. The trick is to keep up this level of fitness when we get home. Our trainer Leslie and riding our hilly island daily will help.
This cement wall at the Museum offers an artistic treat with porcelain art pieces installed.
We see small porcelain pieces integrated into the surroundings. This round piece is made to fit over the drain in the sink adding a nice decorative touch.
This special porcelain clock is obviously beautiful but it has many surprises to share. On the hour and the half hour the magic happens. The show is about to start. Note that the area below the clock face has already opened in preparation. The face of the clock will also open.
The clock face and the section below will open with porcelain figures emerging. All will be in motion. Then characters come to life on the sides as well.
When we were in the gallery where the clock is located, we assumed we were the only people in the museum. As the time crept closer to the hour, suddenly the people arrived to join us. It was magical to share this with the other visitors.
This area is very rich in high quality porcelain stone. Izumiyama Quarry, rich in porcelain stone was discovered in the 16th century, enabling Arita to become the centre of porcelain pottery.
Kyushu ceramics began in Karatsu in the late 16th century. Later, technologies were imported from the Korean Peninsula after its invasion by Totoyomi Hideyoshi spurring the start of production of ceramics across Kyushu and Okinawa.
The collection of Arita ceramic porcelain in this room is a gift to the Museum by the philanthropic collectors, Mr. and Mrs, Shibata. They donated their extensive collection of over 10,000 pieces which were made in Arita dating from the beginning of the Edo period through the Bakumatau period (1610 to 1860). Their collection, now at the museum, represents the largest collection Arita ceramic ware in the world. The museum rotates this vast collection throughout the year.
Next stop is the extraordinary Tozan Shrine. The Torii Gates at this shrine are not the typical vibrant red colour. Instead, they are made of porcelain with the white and blue tones of Arita porcelain.
Another unique factor of the Tozan Shrine is its location. Usually you enter the grounds along a tranquil path, sometimes lined with Tori gates. But here you enter through a Torii gate, climb a steep set of steps, cross a railway track and finally, you are there. The train tracks and frequent regional trains can disrupt the usual tranquility of such a place, but it is a tribute to the Tozan Shrine, that once across the tracks, the usual sense of peace resumes. As there are no barriers at the train tracks, many signs are in place warning people to wait if the lights are flashing.
Now we get to enjoy the shrine. The sun is casting a lovely glow through the colourful paper lanterns strung across a Tori gate.
And now we go down. It is a beautiful fall day. Hard to imagine that not that many days ago, we were fighting extreme weather with rain, wind and low temps. We wore everything we had…today, just shorts a top and sandals.
Coming from a country where safety measures are stringent with litigation a concern, we marvel at how low key this is. The sign instructs you not to step over the white line if you hear a train coming. The problem is, the white line is no longer visible. Perhaps common sense reigns here?
Tonbai Wall Alleys are interesting to see. Historically, the merchants of Arita sold pottery along the main streets, while the potters lived in the back alleys and used the brick walls to conceal their techniques from competitors. These wall were made out of bricks from the kilns and the fragments of discarded pottery and porcelain.
The back streets of Arita are charming. It is not a stretch to imagine what it was like in centuries past if the wiring and light fixtures were not there.
This has been a full day in Arita. We started the day with a list of 4 things we wanted to see before we rode on. It can be challenging for us as we can be distractable and like to go with the moment. Sometimes our best experiences result from the unexpected. Nonetheless, today has been extraordinary. One more stop…the Big Ginkgo tree.
We saved one of the best attractions for last. We visited the 1000 year old Gingko tree that has survived intact, despite a fire that engulfed the neighbourhood. We were not prepared for the massive breadth of the trunk and the sheer mass of the tree. A cherished part of Arita is this giant ginkgo tree. It is a favourite place for locals to spend time, as well as visitors.. The tree is believed to be over 1000 years old and it is called the Giant Ginkgo Tree of Arita. Its height of 40 metres, and its trunk circumference of 18 metres are impressive and it was designated as one of Japan’s Natural Monuments in 1926.
An interesting bit of history, in 1828, Arita town was destroyed by a large fire. Only the wooden house which stood next to the ginkgo tree was saved. The family, tradition says, claim that their home was saved by the ginkgo tree because the tree did not like the fire and caused a wind which saved their home.
We have seen many beautiful trees in Japan, but this ginkgo tree is magnificent….especially during the autumn when the brilliant yellow of the leaves contrast with the dark trunk.
Some of them wanted to chat and somehow it worked. Lots of laughter. The care aides were fabulous and made it fun and translated as needed. But somehow with this group, language was secondary as smiles and gestures did the trick. Eventually I shook most of their hands. One woman was very concerned at my bare legs and mimed her concern.
This woman had been quite withdrawn when suddenly she reached and grabbed my hand. A wonderful moment for both of us.
The woman on the end thought we needed to be wearing more clothes! The woman second on the right kept blowing kisses to Barry. Of course Barry returned the favour.
We did it….we got through everything we wanted to do without sidetracking. Now, we ride on to Ureshino…another 26 km. Glad we planned a short day of riding as we have spent most of the day in Arita.
Ureshino appealed to us because it is a Spa town, meaning that there are natural springs with therapeutic properties and many Onsens. In fact, there are over 30 Onsens in the area, mostly in hotels. Their onsens are open to the public. We’ll be heading to an onsen tomorrow,
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Today's ride: 36 km (22 miles) Total: 1,063 km (660 miles)
