Walking outside the Hilton

I took a walk to a market in Waikoloa around 15 minutes away.

There are five volcanoes including the famous one “Kīlauea,”  on the big island and two of them are active.  The ground is covered with black rocks.  Have you heard of Punaluu Black Sand Beach?  It’s located on the southeastern coast.  Can you imagine a beach covered with black sand!

There is nothing but hotels, condos and golf courses in Waikoloa.

The town has calm and peaceful atmosphere.  When my family went for a stroll at night,  we were safe even though streets were dark and had few lights.  We were able to see the Milky Way.   This island intentionally  suppresses the influence of lights to make star-watching easier.

Here is the view of the markets “Kings Shops” and “Queens’ Marketplace”

Hawaii Report #13

Aso Farm Land

When we descended from Aso, it was about lunch time.   My daughter and I went to “Aso Farm Land,” a resort facility.

We had a  buffet lunch at the restaurant, “Harvest”.  Dishes were made from local ingredients.

I ate it all up.

This facility has many shops.  This is a chopstick shop.

A Vegetable  factory

I saw mushrooms before they are cut for the first time.

We took a bath at “Aso Volcano Onsen” in the same facility.  The following pictures are from its website.

Nobody was there!   10 bathtubs were all ours!   Was it very quiet because it was a weekday in the off-season?   We were hopping in and out outdoor bathtubs.   I had a strange feeling that was a mixture of shyness and release, when I walked around naked under the sun.

The Active Volcano “Aso”

My daughter and I went to “Aso” this month. Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan. It also has one of the largest calderas in the world. We can get to the Aso area in only an hour’s drive from our house. In another 30 minutes  we can reach the craters of the volcano. Even though I live nearby, I rarely go to Aso. It was a warm spring day, but the mountains are still brown. There were only a  few visitors.   However, the mountains will turn a beautiful green in May and many tourists visit.

We made it to the top of the mountain.

The earth is alive!

Get into the shelter when something happens?!

Does“Jizo”protect us? “お願い地蔵” means “make a wish on Jizo”?

Is this a scapegoat”身代不動” for us when something happens?

When I was strolling along the walking trail, suddenly people around me,  including myself,  had a slight coughing fit. When I turned back later, I realized that volcano gas was drifting over the spot.