There are 2 different ferry lines, A Line and Marix that have sailings from Kagoshima to Naha Okinawa and they sail on alternate days. The websites say that you can only book their sailings on the day, and strangely there is also a place to book online, but that doesn’t seem to work. We checked out of our hotel and arrived on the dot of 1 pm only to discover that space is tight for today’s sailing, no staterooms, humble or otherwise… only a spot in a large room with other travellers with a choice of sleeping on the floor on a tatami mat..a few inches from the next person or a bunk bed with 20 or 30 roommates. With Barry’s back issues, either of these choices were unappealing and I would probably have to roll him off the ferry. It sounds like we are getting old…or perhaps just more sensible. Why be miserable?
How can today’s sailing be almost full…how did these other passengers prebook? It turns out that whoever is working that day, regardless of which ferry line they work for, can reserve a space for you for any day you choose and you pay on the day of sailing. Somehow the fellow we talked to you yesterday from ALine was either not very good at his job or something was lost in translation. Luckily today, the woman who looked after us (Marix) was excellent. By the time we left the terminal, she had called the central ticket office and secured tickets for us (due to this interaction, we chose Matrix over ALine, both for her efficiency and also because the ship looked more comfortable). Next issue was working out how the ferry line would cope with our trikes. Her initial response was that cyclists have to get their bikes registered with cargo downstairs and they they will take care of it. We didn’t like the sound of that and explained we usually ride them on to the ferry with the motorcycles and park them. She was surprised. But she called the manager from cargo, they inspected our trikes and we were approved to ride on, yeah! We were so lucky to have this woman helping us through the process as she wouldn’t give up until we had secured tickets for us and our trikes.
We quickly rebooked The Dormy Inn for 2 more nights. When we think about it…this is a win for us…we love staying at The Dormy Inn and we also really like Kagoshima. 2 days will fly by.
Seeing the two ships side by side, we were able to choose: A Line tomorrow or Marix in two days. It was an easy choice in the end. You can see by the profile of the ship that there are fewer cabins and sleeping areas on Okinawa bound ferries than the ferries we have taken in the north. Cargo is the priority on these ships.
This woman who works for Marix Ferry Line is a keeper (so sorry, I can’t find your name in my book). She worked with us for a long time until we had everything we needed. Despite the disappointing experience we had yesterday with the A Line worker, the quality of service we generally experience in Japan is phenomenal.
Kagoshima has welcomed us back with a very windy, rainy ride back to our hotel. The blue sky had indeed disappeared and the rain started as we stepped out of the terminal. We were a soggy mess when we arrived back at the hotel.
We attempted to quickly get our trikes moved into the entrance area on the first floor, where we parked our trikes before, with discretion and efficiency. Before we knew it, staff from the front desk on the 2nd floor came running down the stairs equipped with towels to help and meanwhile I am attempting to run up the stairs to use the lobby bathroom.Of course, there are security cameras at the front desk. You might think that their reaction was defensive in trying to keep the area dry and clean (and that could be a factor), but no, their focus was on us and our well being. Barry found himself surrounded by these women all wanting to help and I was intercepted by a worker who greeted me on the way to the bathroom with the greeting, “You’re back and I see that you are staying 2 more nights”. As he tried to take me to the front desk, I finally blurted out, I need the bathroom first please! He ushered me quickly to the bathroom. We just love The Dormy Inn Hotels.
Once we settled in and were warmed up with an onsen, we went for a walk. The Don Quixote shop across the road is smaller than most, but equally hyper busy and noisy from continual announcements and music. We don’t understand how one works or shops here.
Our destination for dinner is Mo’s Burger up the street. They are very popular and make a good burger...so juicy and full of flavour. There was a lapse up in our communication skills we ended up with 3 instead of two. No problem…Barry took care of the extra food.
It felt like a good night to take a walk down the narrow streets and explore. This area, just off the main drag, is full of small restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, neighbourhoods and crowds of people.
Oh yes, here it is: our favourite Ramen place, Kokita, where we loved to eat when we were here in the spring. We have never found a ramen restaurant that lives up to their standard. Delectable rich broth, with so many veggies and yummy pork. We’re not h7ngry after being to MO’s….but there is tomorrow!
The park by Kokita Ramen is also a familiar place to us. But now it is a Christmas wonderland with an incredible light display. At this point, we are relieved to not have left on the ferry as planned.
Just like me, everybody who walked through these lights just had to reach out and touch them. They have transformed this park into a very special place.
One can visit museums and tourist attractions (and we do), but often the best experiences for us are found just leaving the main drag and wandering down side streets and exploring the neighbourhoods.
We had read that Kagoshima’s Aquarium is very good. Today we’ll check it out, now that we have extra time here. Kinky Bay lies directly in front of the aquarium with active volcano Sakurajima in the middle. As a result, the marine environment surrounding Kagoshima is extraordinarily diverse and home to countless species of marine life. The aquarium’s four floors of exhibits reflect this diversity. Pacific bottle nose dolphins and short beaked common dolphins number in the hundreds in Kinko Bay.
We arrived just in time for the dolphin show. The audience was mostly families with small children and school groups. The headphones on this dolphin showed that it was unable to use its skill of echolocation.
The aquarium is huge with several floors. A cold treat was needed. As we were trying to select what to have, a young man came over and recommended we try this Kagoshima made treat made with ice, cream, fruit etc. it is called Shirokuma and is more popular here than traditional ice cream. I really liked it. The texture initially seemed like tapioca pudding but it melted in your mouth right away to a creamy texture.
We have both become a bit frustrated not having a camera. iPhones are great, but there are 2 issues. We use them for navigation which means the battery runs down if you are using it for photography as well. But more importantly, we saw the limitations when visiting the Crane Observatory in Izumi. Using the full zoom rendered photos that had lost definition and clarity. We visited this used camera store and were able to find a bridge camera at a reasonable price which should help
What a nice evening we have had on our last evening in Kagoshima. We rode around the park to appreciate the beautiful Christmas lights, one last time. Hard to believe, that just 5 months ago, we were here and it was hot and humid.
