We left on a sunny but cold morning which soon warmed up. The ride was pretty straightforward. We soon saw hoards of people waving paper flags and wondered why they were giving us such a reception. But we learned that it was an elite marathon of probably no more than 20 guys. I though they looked around the 2.30 mark or maybe even faster.
We stopped at the state-of-the-art Tsunuki whiskey distillery. They had preserved the old towers which must have been 30-40m high. Now they have installed some pretty impressive equipment and when you see the price of the whiskey, you understand the level of investment. They won the 2013 gold medal in London for the top whiskey and this was retailing in their store at 95,000¥ (about £830). They also produced a table wine from their vineyards near Mt Fuji known as Château de Mars.
There was no information on the internet about hotels in Makurazaki, our destination. But we knew from a TV program we recently saw, that there was one by the station. We were unable to check into our room as the Japanese hotels are very strict about their rule of being in at 3pm and out by 10 am, so we went for lunch and David tried straw-smoked bonito.
Makurazaki is an industrial port located at the southernmost edge of Satsuma, Kagoshima. It is famous for katsuo (bonito flakes).
There was no onsen, but we did enjoy a very hot bath and for the first time, a Western style room. For supper, we went to a tiny mom-and-pop shop, Daitoku where Irene was able to experience freshly-shaved bonito flakes on steamed rice in her katsuo funado meshi.
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| The marathon at Fukiagehama: the neighbourhood was out cheering and waving flags. |
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| Visit of the Tsunuki Distillery |
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| Early cherry blossoms |
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| Katsuo funado meshi, a donburi with fresh bonito, bonito flakes, green onion, nori strips and rice crisps in katsuo broth. |
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