Kitsuki

Monday August 14, 1989

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Today was the first day since we arrived in Beppu-shi that we have not been scheduled for something. We've been shepherded around constantly these last two weeks and today I was determined to do some exploring on our own.

Looking through the many brochures we received at Beppu's Foreign Tourist Information Office, we decidee to go to see Kitsuki Castle, Kitsuki being only about a 20-minute train ride north of Kamegawa. We set out early in the morning, but the first thing we discover when we arrive is that Kitsuki station is not in the center of town, but some distance away. (I learn later in the day that one takes the bus into town from the train station, but I had no idea how to read the bus schedule, so we walked.)

We walked through rice fields, intensely green and filled with the sound of cicadas, the sun beating down on us, the air heavy with humidity. Some distance away the tide is out, and the steaming seaweed smells unpleasantly like dead fish and cooked spinach. As we begin to approach town, a high school girl runs out of one of the houses. "Are you lost?" she asks in English. "We're going to Kitsuki Castle. Is this the right road?" "Kitsuki Castle?" She looks at us dubiously. "Kitsuki Castle far." "How far?" "Maybe hour walk."

I thank her profusely and apologize for her trouble and we set off again. By now JQS, who is not the outdoors type, is quite red and sweaty and I'm worried that he might get heat exhaustion. I'm relieved to get to the center of town and find a modern supermarket which is airconditioned. We buy ice cream and cokes and have a nice long rest before setting out again.

We can see the castle and head towards it. We do not get very far before we meet a very old, bent woman coming the other direction. She seems amazed to see us and is also convinced that we must be lost. She insists on holding her parasol over JQS's head. Bent and shrunken with age, she is not much taller than he is. She is determined to take us to the local Catholic Church where the "padre" speaks English. Reluctantly we are lead and bullied to the church, where we thank her profusely and escape into the sanctuary. I have no intention of finding the "padre", but we wait at the door until she has left, sneak out and head off in the opposite direction.

We do finally make it to Kitsuki Castle. Very few people are there and the curator, Sato Takayoshi, is quite happy to show us around and to my amazement, even insists that JQS try on some armor.

I promise JQS that we will take the bus back. At the bus station, I study the schedule carefully. As we are waiting, a middle-aged woman strikes up a conversation. We exchange pleasantries and I confirm with her the number of the bus we are to take to the train station. Her bus comes before ours, but before she leaves, she calls two high school boys over and extracts a promise from them that they will see that we get on the correct bus. They sit with us and practice their English a bit until our bus comes. They see us on and then wave "bye-bye" and take off. I'm very surprised because I thought they were also on their way to the train station. But apparently, they were just passing by when the woman volunteered them for gaijin-sitting.

We are both exhausted by the time we get home. JQS makes it clear that he is not going on another one of Mom's wacky adventures anytime soon.

Posted by M Sinclair Stevens
August 14, 2003

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