Matsura M'dear?

Whew! After constantly being on the move we are finally getting a chance to catch our breath. We have settled in our hotel in Karume and the 2010 International Camellia Congress is underway. Nancy is attending the morning talks and I am in our room drinking the non-alcoholic rice drink which I scored yesterday at the sake tasting booth (details later) and trying to organize my thoughts (what a concept!) to get the old blog in order and up-to-date.

Today’s subject will be our visit to the town of Matsura (has a famous camellia forest, I know you are shocked) and the Kyushu Ceramic Factory (perhaps not the appropriate word) and Museum. The “factory” is either the only place or one of the few (lost in translation) places in Japan that still makes ceramic pottery by hand and then fires it in a large kiln heated by burning pine wood. The process was fascinating and the results stunning but the photos in the matching album will probably give you a better sense of it then any thousand words I could type. The Museum has both ancient and contemporary handmade ceramics on permanent display and, during our visit, was also displaying the Shibata Collection, Arita porcelains from the Edo period (1603 -1867) donated by Mr. and Mrs. Shibata.

The funniest bit at the ceramic factory occurred when our guide was explaining to us about the hand painting of the designs on the porcelain prior to firing. The person doing the painting at the station we were stopped at was female. Our guide told us that it “had to be virgin.” One of our group, a boisterous and very funny Englishman began teasing the women that they would not qualify to work as painters at the Kyushu plant. Later, after we were back on the bus, he stood up and apologized to the assembled passengers. Turns out it is the brushes used in painting that must be virgin, i.e. not previously used on another piece, not the women who do the painting.

We then took a short bus ride to the town of Matsura, home to a famous camellia forest. The town welcomed us with open arms. Once again we were treated to speeches from dignitaries such as the mayor of Matsura. There was also taiko drumming, a display of bonsai camellias and art work by the local school children. Warm, friendly and wonderful but Goto is still number one.

At the camellia forest they apologized for the fact that the weather has been unseasonably warm prior to our arrival so the camellias had bloomed early and were past their peak. The camellia enthusiasts participated in planting some camellia bushes. We non-enthusiasts urged them on explaining how pleasant it was to watch them work. They were not as appreciative as one might have expected.

Despite the lack of blooms the forest is in a gorgeous location right on the coast so the hike, invigorating after some time on the bus, led us through the forest with occasional scenic views and then down to the beautiful beach.

The next couple of hours were a bit more grueling. As the forest hike was mildly rugged several members of the tour had opted to skip it and go directly on to that night’s hotel. This involved a bit of shifting from bus to bus. The hike bus was a bit overloaded as a consequence. The bus is equipped with fold down seats that drop into the aisle for just such situations but they are to comfort as skunk is to aroma. By the time we got to the hotel certain individuals who shall remain nameless felt as though they had been thoroughly beaten by Yakuza and had been magically transformed into Mr. Crankypants.

The hotel that we had been brought to was called the New Amsterdam and is set, along with about ten other hotels, in a Japanese theme park called Huis Ten Bosch. The entire place is designed to mimic a village in Holland (go figure) complete with thousands of blooming tulips and a huge rose garden (guess who loved that) although the roses were not yet in bloom. There were several restaurants scattered throughout the grounds but Mr. Crankypants insisted on going to the closest one which turned out to be an outrageously expensive gourmet buffet. Still, Mr. Crankypants was able to obtain a fairly decent French Pinot Noir and apply the analgesic effects of alcohol to his battered body. That accomplished a hardy meal featuring the famous Kobe beef and something the non-English speaking chef referred to as “super pork” was enjoyed by our threesome and our newly acquired friends Kathy and Roger from Oregon. When the meal was complete even Mrs. Not Quite So Cranky had to acknowledge that it had been an excellent meal.

The New Amsterdam Hotel is, and will probably remain, the swankiest hotel we have stayed in on the tour. The room was huge and included a raised platform with a table and specially designed chairs so you could sit on the floor Japanese style and still enjoy back support (see photo). Swanky or no there was no Internet access. Zip, zero, none. This is why this entry is being completed and uploaded four days after the fact.

Tomorrow on to Genkai Energy Park.

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23360&id=1680191390&l=de8aee06f2