I traveled to Kumamoto, on the southern island of Kyuushu, in early August. The purpose of my visit was to see my friend Laura, who was studying Japanese there. So I'm afraid that Kumamoto didn't really get my full attention, even though it is one of Kyushu's major cities... Laura and I spent more time on girl-talk than sightseeing... and we had a blast! Laura is so fun and energetic, and it was terrific to get the chance to meet and hang out with her in the country we've both been interested in for so long.

In the midst of our constant chatter, we actually did manage to get some touristy stuff in... we visited the lovely Suizenji koen, a famous Japanese-style garden. It was beautiful- despite the overwhelming heat. Surrounded by skyscrapers, this park is a little slice of peace and tranquility in the heart of the city. Its landscape features a view of a minature Mount Fuji, a beautiful pond, and plenty of greenery. There is a lovely shrine within the grounds, with a fountain bubbling up water that is said to increase one's life span. We made sure to drink from it, just to be on the safe side! We bought good-luck charms at the shrine, and "impressed" Laura's friend Junko with our knowledge of Shintoism... which was mostly learned from Sailor Moon. Silly us!

Aside from that outing, we mainly spent our time chatting non-stop in her room at her host family's house, lounging on the futons there, eating rather obscene-looking popsicles, and trying desperately to keep cool. Kyuushu in the summer is... hotter. than. hell. Seriously! I do not say that lightly. I can imagine that it's lovely in winter, but I would never, ever want to visit in summer again. Laura and I actually had to walk to keep cool outside, because the foward movement would stir up a slight breeze. We found that standing still was actually more uncomfortable than moving around. But even though the heat was unbearable, we can look back on it and laugh now. (Right, Laura? eh heh heh... riiiigght... okay, well, it was fun anyway!)

Anyway, we had an absolutely wonderful time shopping, taking silly Print Club pictures, dodging dragonflies, eating at Mr. Donut's, getting stared at in our tank tops and shorts, and just hanging out!