Noon Report:
- Location: N 33° 18.56′, E 131° 30.27′
- Speed: Docked
- Course: Docked
- Weather: Sunny
- Sea: Calm
EXCURSION: Buddhas, Castle & Monkeys
Today was a fairly long day so we got an early start.
Castle
Eventually we arrived at our first stop, the site of the Usuki Castle ruins.
When you go thu a Tori gate you are entering a sacred space 
landing a pebble on top of the gate will bring luck 
Traditional Tea House on the grounds 
Period cannon 
Ancient Moat 
To worship at a shrine, first wash hands & mouth and remove hat 
Ring the bell to call Spirit’s attention to you 
Clapping and expressing the wish 
Note this shrine is guarded by fox spirits (kitsune) 
Entering the shrine thru many Tori gates-so very sacred place 
A larger shrine 
Guarded by lions 
With its own gate 
Crossing water 
Leaving the complex 
There is a bell outside 
Red earred turtle on left, traditional Japanese turtles on right
Lunch
Our next stop was a traditional Japanese lunch, but without any explanation about what we were eating or how to eat it. The soup pots were your own personal soup pot – to be spooned out into your bowl (also needed chopsticks to grab the extra long, fat noodles into your bowl).
Buddhas
Following lunch we saw a National Treasure – the Usuki Stone Buddhas. These are a series of statues carved from hardened volcanic ash arranged in four clusters in the hillside surrounding the valley. It is believed they were carved between 794 and 1333. We walked the path to view each of the clusters.
Kitty said Good Bye 
We were purified by incense 
We walked thru a bamboo forest 
Buddhas in Japan are called Nyorai and occupy the top of the four ranks of the Buddhist pantheon 
Large statue of Amida Nyorai 
Jizo-Jyu-Ou-Zou and the 10 kings 
Nyorai-San-Son-Zou 
Unknown partial images 
Furouzono-Sekibutsu 
Dainichi Nyorai 
Photo of Dainichi Nyorai before restoration
Following the circuit of Buddhas we walked across the small valley to the Mangatsu temple.
Before boarding the bus we had a few minutes to kill so we checked out the cookie factory next door.
We didn’t buy any cookies, but their ginger flavored vanilla ice cream was excellent.
Back on the bus we traveled back toward town. Along the way we passed over a quiet little river that showed signs of occasionally becoming a raging torrent.
Monkeys
Our last stop for the day was the Mt. Takasaki National Wildlife Park and Macaque Reserve.
We got to hang out with monkeys.
They live in the forested hillside and come down to the feeding grounds at the reserve to hang out during the day, socialize, and eat. After the last feeding at 4:30 they head back up to the mountain.
Then it was back to the ship.
Here’s one last shot of Beppu – check out all the steam rising from vents around the city.
So that’s Beppu. We spent a lot of time on the bus, saw lots, and had a really enjoyable day.
Tomorrow’s another day.
Till then, R
Cheryl’s Factoids:
- Surprisingly there is a lot of the public resistance against turning the natural steam vents into power stations. They use the steam to heat their private homes and for the natural onsen hot springs to act as tourist attractions – including the 5 “hells” which are mud and sulpher springs that come in various colors.
- We are visiting several castle complexes and have learned that, while they are usually built on high spots and surounded by a moat, not all castles had tall defensive towers.
- There are over 1,500 monkeys in the monkey park. Macaque etiquette: don’t look them in the eye, don’t squat down to their level, and don’t have any food or drink in your hands because they will grab that. (The macaques at the Elephanta caves in India also have also been known to grab your cell phone to trade for food).