21 November 2009

Emily had another bad night and ended up in our bed, waking for good at 6am. We weren't even rewarded for our enforced early start with a good display of dawn light, as it was quite cloudy. After breakfast we drove across town to one of the piers; a car ferry leaves every fifteen minutes for the quarter of an hour crossing to the 'island' (actually, since a massive lava flow in 1914 it has been joined to the mainland over on the other side of the bay). We just about had time to go up on deck and look at the view as the freezing wind chilled us to the marrow.


On disembarking we drove straight to the visitor centre, which is only a few hundred metres from the ferry terminal (the whole island has a 40km circumference). We spent a while looking around the exhibits and there was lots of interest for volcano enthusiasts like us, but Emily was soon bored. Outside in the park was a long channel where you could sit and baste your legs in geothermal spring water at a very pleasant temperature, like a hot bath.

With our blood warmed up a bit we walked along a sea edge path through a jumble of lava rocks, but it really was bitingly cold. Emily had fun playing in the long grass but was getting very weary and eventually got upset.


We drove on and Emily immediately fell asleep. A little further on we stopped off to take it in turns climbing up some steps to a viewing area with a good vista of the volcano, spewing out smoke and vapour.


Continuing, we detoured in search of a torii (shrine gate) that was originally 3 metres high, which had been nearly buried by ash and lava flows.


Emily continued to sleep until we'd nearly completed a circuit of the island. We finished off ascending a steep road to a visitor centre high up on the shoulder of one of the craters, which afforded fantastic views onto the bay and over to the city too. We hung out for two hours in the warm cafe there having a bento lunch and staying cosy indoors.

On the way home, we stopped off to see a modern rock sculpture, which none of us liked. It was entitled 'Passion', but I thought it looked more like torture. Emily loved rolling on the grassy slope there though.


Our great day out inspired us to compose a haiku each. Pam came up with hers first and it was a hard act to follow:

Molten lava cools
Solidifies to stone
Like himan passion

Mine was based on my assertion to Emily that a dragon lived in the mountain:

Dragon's breath billows
New land spews from gaping maw
Sakurajima lives

Nick's defies introduction:

Vengeful wh*re of fire
Sacred mother earth
Erupts forth new life

Back at the hotel, Nick stayed with Emily while Pam and I went in the outdoor spa pools again. This time the one that was really hot before was decidedly cooler and had jacuzzi jets. Pam sat with Emily once she was asleep so that Nick and I could visit the izakaya opposite. We had gorgeous food and plenty of sake and shochu. We returned to discover that Emily was not in the cot, then saw that she was snuggled up in bed with Pam.