The Ramen Run in Kyushu: Day out in the Shimabara Peninsula

27 February 2017

We hired a car to explore the hilly Shimabara peninsula.  The fast ferry crossing took 30 minutes.  

First, we drove through Shimabara city centre and its castle.  Visited the well-preserved samurai street.  Three of the bukeyashiki (samurai houses) are open to the public, and the rest are inhabited.  Between the houses ran a pretty gravel road with a stream down the middle.

The drive in the Unzen-Amakusa National Park took us through woods amidst volcanic landscape.  A whiff of sulphur emanating from mineral hot spring fields greeted our arrival in the village of Unzen.  We visited the bubbling jigoku ('Hell') where hot water and gases spout out of the earth.  During the Edo period when Christians were persecuted, these hells were used to execute Christian rebels after the failed Shimbara rebellion.

After a quick foot-bath and and some delicious speciality local biscuits, we headed back to Kumamoto.

It was a pleasant break in glorious weather.

Feeding the gulls on the ferry 

Shimabara Samurai Street

Unzen Hell