March 1 - Kitakyushu, Japan

There are 4 major islands in Japan, Kitakyushu is the 3 ^rd largest. This was the first time a Cunard ship had visited the island and did they ever give us a warm welcome! There was a band and hundreds of children waving flags when we arrived. Special flags designed for our visit were hanging from poles wherever we went. When the ship left the port, fireworks saw us off.

I did an overview tour so I felt I saw the best of what they had to offer. This is mostly an industrial area. Toyota and Nissan plants are here (they have tours, but that was not on our agenda). There are many high-tech companies based here which means the young and the smartest live here. So, there was no laundry hanging out of windows and small houses like in other parts of Asia.

According to our guide, before Buddhism, Shinto was the held belief: God was found in nature, especially the tall trees and the vast ocean. There are still remnants of this belief in the Japanese Gardens that abound in the area. We visited Komura Castle Japanese Garden. The first picture shows the castle with that a moat and high stone wall for protection. Originally built in 1602, it has undergone renovations. In fact, we were not able to get inside.
As we entered the courtyard there was a well where we were to rinse our hands and mouth to purify our body for approaching the temple. At one building there were “gongs” attached to ropes. You ring the gong 3 times, clap twice and bow while making your prayer.

Another area housed the temple of prayer. We removed our shoes and went into the sacred area. As we passed a group of what looked like monks in their traditional garb, one called my name and came over to give me a hug!!! Turns out this was a group of young men who work on the ship and they were touring like I was. You can see I’ve made at least one friend on this trip….