Day 2: Mojiko, Mekari Tenboutai, and Beppu Onsen...

Things I'm learning on the road here:
1. The rest stops here are totally awesome. Vending machines that spit out beer and fast food is something we are sorely lacking in America. Okay, maybe not.

2. The more we head out into the boonies, the more everything seems cleaner and more efficient. You wouldn't expect that from places that aren't even on the map, but they make it work here.

3. Japanese tourists that tour their own country carry very few cameras. Go figure.

All righty, here's what I shot today. Oh yeah, I don't think I'll have time to do video while on the road, so once I get back to Hong Kong, I'll have time to do some edits and uploads when I'm on a steadier schedule. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: Get on with it already!

Kinda like Golden Gate was my first thought.

Pretty common around these parts, cemeteries exist around housing in dense
pockets. I'm surprised there's not Japanese horror flick about ghosts
that haunt residents from their own backyard. Hmmm...

There's that blue guy again.

The entrance to some hot springs that had names such as Blue Hell, and
Red Hell.

Here's Blue Hell.

And that's Tommy Lee Jones selling coffee drinks.

Looks like Red Hell is super-serious about being "edgy".



Most dangerous thing I ate today? Fugu omelete aka omelete and Blowfish.
Yeah, THAT fish. I've got more video on this, but suffice it to say, I can't think
of a more needless way to risk my life for the sake of culinary delicacy.
My lips were a bit numb afterwards, but they say that's normal...


Coolest thing I ate today, pardon the pun? Waffle-ized Ice Cream!


It's basically ice cream injected into a waffle layer.
High concept, big flavor, and portable. Tastebuds approve.

This is where I crash for the night, notice something missing?

Ding! Magically, Housekeeping pulls out the floor-mat futon!
It should be an interesting sleep...

Stay tuned for more on the road... ;)