JP'23 - Kumamoto: Rain... / Kirikabu

Saturday (29.4.) Rainy day: just stayed in Kumamoto with a visit to a local Onsen. For dinner with Yuko I have cooked Risotto with some meat...

Sunday (30.4.) According to Rick it was supposed to clear up and Kirikabu should be flyable later in the afternoon. We left at 1000 and drove via Kabuto-Iwa to Kusu/ Kirikabu.

Kabuto-Iwa: Pano looking South: Mt.Aso

Kabuto-Iwa: Panoo looking South: Mt.Aso

Kirikabu: Pano looking WNW: Kusu

LZ

JP'23 - Amakusa -2

Friday: finally (!) a decent day, permitting a nice flight around Kuratake.

Yuko has been the 'designated' driver, first taking Rick and me to launch, later also Leanne (after she had finished working); then picking me up at the main LZ and also Leanne and Rick after they had landed at the beach.

about a 10' hike from the car parking...

Pano looking SW

great views over the sea and islands

Rick landing at the beach LZ

I flew for about an hour. Rick and Leanne had to go back for work after their flights. I didn't go for another flight, as -according to Rick- the conditions in the afternoon only deteriorate and the winds pick up; so back to Kuaratke for 2 more rainy days :-((

JP'23 - Amakusa -1

Thursday: We left Kumamoto (KMJ) around 0830 in order to arrive at the LZ for Kuratake at 1100. Here we met Rick & Leanne.

LZ; the rice season has started about 2 weeks ago, so many possible LZs are now flooded/ unavailable...

Rick is THE pilot without whom I would not have made this trip to Kyushu (as I did in 2019). He flies here as often as possible and also knows all of Kyushu's flying areas as well as most of the people you need to know: for my flying here he was/ is the indispensable 'door opener'.

After an area briefing we drove to launch. Rick launched first with Yuko for a tandem flight. Me and Leanne then followed. Once more (!) the wx fcst proved to be inaccurate: much more wind and high clouds than forecast. It has -apart form a good launch/ landing- not been a very entertaining flight: bumpy, torn-up thermals... 

In the afternoon they showed us their home, which they have acquired during the pandemic: a most beautiful and secluded spot with a great view over the sea. Leanne has served us a small lunch consisting entirely of self grown (organic) foods, home-made bread/ cakes/ self-made Limoncello etc: simply delicous!

On the way to our hotel for the night we stopped for a dip in an onsen; then excellent Sushi dinner consisting entirely of freshly caught local fish.

JP'23 - Sightseeing: Kokonoe Onsen / Suspension Bridge

Wednesday: according to the wx fcst(s) the last windy day for the moment - I'd really like to belief that ;-)

Yuko suggested that for sightseeing we'd go to Kokonoe Onsen; Rick then added, that the Kokonoe Yume Suspension Bridge might also be worth a visit...

Aso Town/ Mt.Aso

Kokonoe Yume Suspension Bridge

Waterfall near suspension bridge

On the way back from the suspnesion bridge we stopped first at an onsen, then later at a very traditional restaurant, where the cooking was more or less done at the table. I have been told that this most probably was the way cooking has been done in the traditional (wooden) houses.

traditional Japanese cooking / dinner

...the next 2 day should bring flying weather. so we'll be heading to Amakusa for flying Kuaratke together with Rick and Leanne. Let's keep our fingers crossed...

JP'23 - Travel: Osaka-Himeji-Kumamoto

With the 0959 Shinkansen I left Osaka for Himeji, where Chikako has been waiting to show me the famous Himeji castle. Unfortunatley it has been raining (more or less) for the whole day, so the pictures turned out rather bleak.

The sequencing of the trains is amazing: within just 8 minutes 3 Shinkansen trains are leaving Shin-Osaka going in the same direction; but all stopping at different places: some at all stations, some at just a few...

Himeji Castle

The castle has been recently renovated. It is entirely constructed of wood, 2 main (wooden !) pillars carry the entire structure.

main pillar

But I don't think it would have been a very pleasant place to live: cold and windy with little heating, long and steep stairs to get to the top floor...

I much more liked the gardens (which at the time have been also part of the castle).

Bonsai

As it continued to rain, we visited a local onsen and after a quick dinner of Unagi (= eel) returned to the JR station for my train departure at 1750.

But here my faith in/ praise for the Japanese train system has been quite shattered:

'my' train did not show up on the announcement panels and after inquiring it turned out that it had been cancelled (as well as the next one :-(( I used this time to do some shopping for enxt day's breakfast, as by the time I'd be arriving the shops would have been closed.

Finally arriving in Kumamoto at 2239 (iso 2042), where Yuko has been waiting, driving me (and the luggage that had arrived earlier at her place) to my accommodation.

 

JP'23 - Uchita (noFly) / Jetlag

Monday: more of the same weather :-(( 

Japanese breakfast

While Atsushi has been driving me to Uchita, jetlag set in. Most probably -even if the wx should have been good- I would not have been able to fly (or should not have flown...)

On the way back to Osaka we stopped at Wakayama. Here I dropped my large suitcase and PG pack at Yamato transport for having it transported to Yuko's place in  Kumamoto. Atsuhi had come up with this idea, so I would not have to carry all my stuff around the next day - thanks for this tip! We dropped the luggage at 1300 and it has been deleivered next day by 1600 at a cost of 5500JPY (2 pieces/ 40kgs) - nothing to complain about. And with the Airtags attached I could even monitor the progress ;-)

While being at Wakayama I had also my reservations for next day's shinkansen trip changed, as I was going in the morning to Himeji, then in the evening on to Kumamoto.

parking system

Here I saw for the first time this kind of 'parking system' (which I consider quite clever): the first 30 minutes here are free; after this time the car gets 'blocked' (as shown in the picture); once you have paid, the car is 'released'...

At the hotel once more Onsen and some (free) Soba in the evening...

JP'23 - Uchita (noFly) / Mt.Katsuragi

Sunday: again perfect tourist weather, but...

At 0730 we left for Uchita. Today travelling has been much easier, arriving around 0930. After 1000 more pilots showed up, all hoping that the wind would eventually die enough to allow flying. But it should not have been :-((

huge LZ in the river bed - very often the best option here in JP

launch - LZ 'in front' of bridge

At 1300, after having had a look at launch, we decided to call it a day here in Uchita. As we had missed going up Mt.Katsuragi yesterday, we decided to make the trip today. Getting there, we saw by chance the windsocks of the LZ.

LZ (windsocks are very often only placed, when flying)

looking towards Mt.Katsuragi (launch behind highest point)

launch

On the way back again a visit to an onsen...