St Francis Xavier Brought Christianity to Japan, Kagoshima was His Landing Spot

During my recent trip to Kagoshima (in May 2024), I discovered that St Francis Xavier had brought Christianity to Japan. 

His point of landing in the Land of the Rising Sun was at Kagoshima in August 1549. Today, the Diocese of Kagoshima have named their cathedral in honour of the saint.

St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Kagoshima.

Statue of St Francis Xavier in front of the cathedral.

Like most churches in Japan, Mass is celebrated on the first floor instead of the ground floor. 

Sanctuary and altar.

There is a pipe organ in the choir loft.

A cathedral is the seat of the bishop and that is the Bishop of Kagoshima's coat of arms.

A monstrance displayed by the side of the sanctuary:

English language Mass on Sundays are celebrated at 3:00pm, here's the signage:

The English language Mass is celebrated in the chapel on the ground floor:

Mass is celebrated in this chapel.

Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the grounds of the cathedral.

Opposite the cathedral there is a park aptly named "Xavier Park" in honour of St Francis Xavier. 

Let me show you some pics of what's in the park.

Ruins of a doorway that marks the entrance to the park.

Bust head of St Francis Xavier.

Statue of St Francis Xavier on mission in Kagoshima.

At the park there's a signage displaying a chronological record of St Francis Xavier in Japan. I was delighted to see that his last port of call before sailing to Japan was good old Malacca!

It took St Francis Xavier around 2 months to sail from Malacca to Kagoshima.

There is also a St Francis Xavier Historical Trail that pilgrims and history buffs could do in Kagoshima. 

Unfortunately, I did not have time to do the trail and that is a good excuse to revisit Kagoshima. 

Check Out This Classic Toyota in Tokyo

This is a throwback post to June 2017 when I visited Tokyo, Japan.

My friend and I went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Roppongi to look for its signature bottle opener and t-shirts. While she was busy choosing t-shirts, I went gallivanting to the car park at the back.

In one of the parking lot was this cool looking Toyota:

The car was gleaming black and well maintained. I wonder which year was the car made in.

I suppose the owner must have invested much effort to preserve the car. He surely must be a car lover.

Such a beauty indeed!

8 Random Observations About Japan

Here's a throwback post on eight random observations when I visited the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo in June 2017.

1) Standing on different sides of the escalator

Despite being in the same country, people in Osaka (Kansai region) stand on the right side of the escalator whilst in Tokyo they stand on the left.

This photo was taken at one of the metro stations in Osaka: 

See what I said about people standing on the right in Osaka ...

Unfortunately I didn't take any photo of the metro escalator in Tokyo to show you that they stand on the left side.


2) Many senior citizens in Kyoto

I notice that there are many senior citizens in Kyoto compared to Osaka and Tokyo. Maybe because Kyoto is not a busy city compared to the other two and therefore would make a better retirement place.

The older generation in Japan are generally strong and healthy, probably due to the amount of walking and cycling that they do. Genes play a huge part too. Wish I had some Japanese genes for my old age.

These senior citizens are also useful. Each time I got lost in Japan, they were the ones who gave me directions, and without speaking a  word of English at that. We just used sign language. I tell you, the senior citizens would make good volunteers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

An elderly couple at a bus stop in Kyoto.

3) Needs more laundromat or coin laundry

Japan has many vending machines and coin lockers to store your luggage, but certainly not enough laundromats.

I went to do my laundry at one of the laundromats in Tokyo on a weekday evening and I had to queue. That annoyed me because laundomats are supposed to be less busy on weekdays.

If I had the resources, I would open a chain of laundomats in Japan, seriously.

Another thing ... all instructions at the laundomats are in Japanese, here's an example: 

Even the instructions on the detergent box is in Japanese:

Thankfully I could figure out the instructions because I use the laundromat weekly at my home. After all, how different can laundromat instructions be even from different parts of the world. 

Enough of vending machines and more laundromats please.

4) No stray dogs or mongrels

I notice there were hardly any stray dogs or mongrels in Japan. 

I saw a homeless man in the Roppongi area in Tokyo and he had an Akita breed which is the same breed as the infamous Japanese dog, Hachiko. The guy's dog didn't look thin or malnourish and I wonder how he sustains the dog.

Here are photos of local folks with their pet dogs:

Twosome in a pram.
(Photo was shot in Kyoto)

Pet poodle going for a stroll. 

(Photo was shot at the Dotonbori area in Osaka)

5) Dustbins are difficult to find

You would have probably heard this before from people who have returned from Japan, that Japan is very clean and rubbish bins are difficult to find.

So if you're visiting Japan, remember to keep a plastic bag in your bag at all times to store litter until you find an avenue to dispose of it properly.


6) Road names are in Japanese

We were looking for the Arashiyo-beya sumo stable in Tokyo which is located in a small alley. Google Maps was erractic that morning and we kept walking in circles. In the end someone helped to show the directions.

Despite having the address of the sumo stable with me I still couldn't find the place because the addresses on houses and office blocks look like this:

How to find the road name like this ...

7) Fascination with France

I was surprised to hear music from the Les Miserables soundtrack being played in the Tokyo metro stations. Was expecting to hear Kitaro or some traditional Japanese music, hehehe.

Since we're talking about music in the metro stations, I also heard the sound of chirping birds being played at the stations, probably to help keep the crowd calm during rush hour commute in the crowded trains.

Many of bakeries in Tokyo also sell French pastries instead of Japanese ones. Not sure how close the pastries are in taste compared to original French pastries sold in France though. Maybe the locals are fedup of Japanese pastries and prefer boulangerie et pattiserie ala Japonais.

One of my Japanese colleague had his wedding photoshoot in Paris because he claims his wife is a francophile. Vive la France!

Subway tracks in Tokyo.

8) Small dwellings

The flats that we booked via Airbnb in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo were tiny and suitable for small sized Asians or midgets. If you're a big, burly person, perhaps it's wiser to get a hotel room instead and hope their hotel rooms are not as small as their flats.

Just to give you an idea, the average size of the flats we stayed in was around 250 sq ft. That's just enough space for a double bed and perhaps a 2-seater sofa and a coffee table. A small kitchen and a bathroom is also part of that small space.

Japan probably needs bigger flats in the future considering that the younger generation are getting taller and bigger.

Highlights of 2017

1) Visited Japan in June

Covered Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo in that order.

The highlights of the trip was the super expensive Shinkansen train ride from Kyoto to Tokyo and the eye opeing experience of bathing in an onsen completely nude with other women.

 Was happy to see a familiar face (look at the yellow flag) in Dotonbori, Osaka.

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2) Visited Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro in September

That trip was one of the best trips I've had in a long time.

The Balkans is certainly blessed with amazing landscapes, aquamarine waters and awesome weather. It was also relatively easy to travel through these 3 countries.

I think it's kinda cool that they built this basketball court inside the Old City of Dubrovnik in Croatia.

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3) Visited London in September

London was my entry into Europe where I stayed with friends.

It was my second time in London (first trip was in September 2009) and this time I observed the following:

a) The locals are more friendlier. My friend said it's because Great Britain is no longer great after it voted out from the EU. So the locals have been made humble.

b) There were tourists everywhere. Perhaps the weakening of the GBP have enabled more people to visit London.

c) There were many foreign workers from other parts of Europe working in London.

d) London has become dirtier. There were rubbish everywhere. I found food wrappers and paper cups stuffed between shrubs/plants in that little square in front of the Bank of England where the London Troops War Memorial is. I also found chewing gum stuck on the underside of railings.

e) The British Museum and St Paul's Cathedral certainly needs a new coat of paint. Both buildings look rundown from the outside.

Having said all that, I did have a marvellous time in London. Some of the things I did:

- Went to the Bank of England to change an old 50 pound note for a colleague.
- Had dinner at Jamie's Italian restaurant on Threadneedle street.
- Visited the Natural History Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum.
- Went to Bicester Village to get two TOD's bags and two Longchamp bags.

London is a great city and I'll never get tired of visiting it again.

The Natural History Museum in London.

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4) Started participating in runs

- 2017 is the year that I ran my first 10km at the MPI Generali Run on 8 January 2017 to be exact. I've been running 5km all these while, so I thought why not up the game. Fellow running enthusiasts have encouraged me to do a half marathon next, but let's see it goes.

- Emerged 10th place in the 5km Women's Open KL New Year's Day Run

- Emerged 8th place in the 10km Women's Veteran HSN21KM Run on 14 October 2017.

- Participated in 8 runs and 2 bandit runs

- Still trying to do a sub 1 for 10km, best time is 1:04:28

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5) Collected 12 Hard Rock Bottle Openers (City-T Guitar V+)

- Bali Cafe

- Bali Airport

- Hamburg

- Ho Chi Minh City

- Kota Kinabalu

- Lisbon
- London

- Munich

- Osaka
- Podgorica
- Sentosa Singapore

- Tokyo

Didn't expect such a haul but luck was on my side because friends were travelling and I requested them to get the magnets for me.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that Kuala Lumpur finally has changed its bottle opener after having the previous one for ages.

The latest Kuala Lumpur bottle opener.

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May 2018 bring good health, happiness and success to everyone!

Photo was taken at the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Kyoto, Japan.

Nudity, Equality and Bushes of the Female Kind at the Onsen

I'm a strong believer that we should buy experiences over possessions. It was because of this belief that I made it a point to visit an onsen during my visit to Japan in June.

I wanted the experience of being completely naked in public together with other naked people. Call it public nudity if you will, albeit amongst the same gender.

After doing some research about onsens. I decided on the Maenohara Onsen - Saya-no-Yudokoro in Tokyo.

This is the facade of the building:

Main entrance:

At the entrance of the building is the shoe locker:

Reminds me of traditional Chinese medicine shops.

I chose locker Number 026 because I was born on 26 January (easy to remember in case I get overwhelmed by too many naked bodies in the onsen):

After you've placed your footwear into the locker, insert JPY100 into the coin slot and you'll be able to remove the key. 

When I entered the building, I saw a common area at one corner with tatami mats where customers were lying down and chilling in their yukata. Some were sitting on massage chairs getting a good massage. I suppose they must be cooling off after soaking in the hot onsen.

(Note: I didn't take any photos from here onwards because I felt the customers may not like it. The other obvious reason is because the nakedness soon began).

The receptionist explained to me the rates, asked me whether I had a towel and needed to rent one, etc. At that point the only thing I could remember was her telling me to "go to the room with the red curtain".

The red curtain looked like the ones hanging from the doorway of traditional Japanese restaurants. The blue curtain was entrance to the male onsen and red curtain was to the female onsen (Question: What if a particular customer is colour blind? Muahahaha).

My heart was beating fast, curious to see what's behind the red curtain.

When I entered the room there were naked women everywhere - young, middle aged, old, fat, thin, obese and anaeroxic - they were all there.

The area was divided into two main areas, i.e. lockers on one side and dressing tables on the other side. Both the areas were covered in tatami mat.

There was a massage room where you can get a massage (book in advance) and toilets too (remember ... you're not supposed to pee while soaking in the onsen).

Everyone was doing their own thing - drying their hair, putting on clothes, applying makeup, etc.

I chose a locker and placed my items into it while observing what the other ladies were doing.

The girl beside me removed all her clothes, placed them into the locker, locked it, strapped the key on her wrist and walked to the onsen with only a face towel in her hand. It was as if getting naked was second nature to her.

It was then that I realised I had brought a bath towel which was too big for an onsen. The correct size is a face towel. So I decided to go in without any towel at all, which I thought was a brave thing to do because even some of the regulars use a face towel to cover their bits.

After removing my clothes and placing it in the locker, I walked to the pool area and met a local lady who could speak English. I asked her what I needed to do before entering the onsen. She was happy that it was my first time and explained that I needed to rinse myself first before soaking in.

After splashing myself with water from a giant tempayan, I went to survey the pools.

The indoor pools were actually jacuzzi hot tubs complete with water jets and all. There was also a sauna which was too hot that I came out after just a couple of minutes.

The outdoor pools were from the hotsprings. The water was yellow-ish in colour which means it contains minerals that's good for the body. The two unique pools that I liked were:

a) A pool with ankle high water which allowed you to lie down in the water.
b) An area with a few giant tempayan which you can climb in and squat till the water reaches your neck.

The outdoor pools were my favourite because I felt serene lying in a nice warm water amidst the trees and breeze. I came out and sat under the sun occasionally to avoid getting prunes on my fingers and toes.

After spending a good 1.5 hours soaking myself, I went to the communal bathing area to wash up. There was a stool to sit while you wash using a hose. Cleaning liquid like body soap, shampoo and conditioner were also provided. Some regulars brought their own bath kit.

After getting dressed, I went to reception to pay.

My receipt:

Costs JPY 870 for unlimited session at the onsen.

They gave me a card where I can collect stamps each time I visit:

I left the onsen feeling light headed and went to Tully's at the AEON mall opposite for a latte:

Caffe latte, JPY360. Taste was not great.

My observations/thoughts about the onsen:

1) Initially I though only senior citizens go to the onsen. But I saw people of all ages there.

2) An onsen is usually a place where elderly women gather to gossip. So I was surprised to see men in their 20s and 30s there too. No, I didn't go into the men's onsen. I saw those fellas at the reception area.

3) Not everyone has the guts to go full monty in public, due to one reason or another. My travel partner chickened out at the last minute and decided to go shopping instead. Maybe she didn't want to see me naked.

4) Bushes of the female kind - Some of the women didn't bother to shave. Their bushes were long and thick like wire. I was amazed to see one who had it so unkempt that it looked like a crows nest, no kidding. Me? I had a Brazillian before going to Japan knowing that I'll be visiting the onsen. I was perhaps the only one who was as clean as a baby :-)

5) Equality - Whether we're aneroxic, obese, rich, poor or anything in between, we're all equal in an onsen.

3 Tips to Ensure You Have Sufficient Cash in Japan

A friend is going to Japan this month for about 9 days. She wants to see Japan's golden colours of autumn. 

The other day I asked her how much Japanese Yen (JPY) is she planning to bring. She said she had already bought JPY3,000. I commented that JPY3,000 is definitely not going to last her 9 days and that she needs to buy more JPY.

Just to give you an idea, I spent approximately JPY96,000 when I was in Japan for 9 days in June. JPY96,000 is for ground transport (including the Shinkansen bullet train which was the most expensive train ride in my life), meals, entrance fees, souvenirs, etc. Flight and accommodation were already paid in advance before the trip.

Japan is not like most other countries where you can bring universally accepted currencies like the US Dollar and EURO to buy the local currency at the money changer or bureau de change.

Reason is because there are NO money changers in Japan. My Japanese colleagues had confirmed this before I went to Japan.

There are no money changers in Japan, not even in tourist spots like Dotonbori in Osaka.

In Japan the only place to get JPY is at the bank. Since most of the locals do not speak English, it may be difficult to express what you want. Even the ATMs are all in Japanese.

In Japan the only place to get JPY is at the bank.

Pic: A row of ATMs at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation's (SMBC) headquarters in Osaka. 

Here are three tips to ensure you have sufficient cash when travelling in Japan:

Tip 1: Buy before travelling
Whenever possible, purchase your transport tickets, theme park tickets, accommodation, etc. in advance before arriving in Japan. By doing this, you won't find yourself caught in a situation where all your cash has been used up unexpectedly.

Purchasing tickets in advance means you don't have to think too much about what ticket to buy, where to buy it, and the how much does it cost when you arrive in Japan. This would give yourself peace of mind and more free time for sightseeing and exploring.

Before I went to Japan, I had bought the following before leaving home: 2-Day Amazing Osaka Pass, 72-Hour Tokyo Subway Ticket and Airbnb accommodation in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo.

In case you're wondering how I purchased the tickets beforehand, you may contact H.I.S. Malaysia. They sell a host of tickets in Japan like the JR Pass, theme park tickets (Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan, etc.), flight tickets, etc.

Tip 2: Draw out a budget
Draw out a budget, add another 20% for contingency and buy enough JPY from your home country.

Tip 3: Use credit card
My favourite option is to use credit card, especially for big ticket items. This will leave you enough cash for the smaller stuff like meals and souvenirs.

Some of you may argue that credit card exchange rates are higher compared to paying in cash. Despite this I still prefer using credit card. Imagine buying too much JPY just because you're not sure how much to bring. Compared to losing from the credit card exchange rate, you'll lose much more if you convert the balance JPY back to your home currency.

However if you become a Japanophile and decide to make many trips to Japan, then perhaps it's a good idea to buy more JPY, especially if the exchange rate is attractive.

Happy travels!

Just a random shot in Kyoto.

Artistic Manhole Covers in Osaka

The word 'manhole' may sound like a mismatch, but if they had called it 'womanhole' then it would be the sexist word ever. Think about it.

Here's a post to show you three artistic manholes covers that I found in Japan.

Look at this one in the small town of Aikawa in Osaka where our Airbnb was:

The Japanese words said not to park vehicles on top of the manhole cover because there's a fire hydrant underneath. 

The Osaka Castle is depicted beautifully in this one:

The Japanese words say the same thing as the one above.

This is another one with a temple: 

I can't identify which temple is this. Do comment if you know the answer.

Since we're on the topic of metal art on the ground, here's a metal plate on the ground which shows the direction:

Found this in the Gion district in Kyoto.

I wish I had found more manhole covers in Japan, but my trip was only 9 days long.

If I return to Japan, rest assured I'll be looking for more manhole covers. In fact these three have inspired me to look for other unique manholes covers whenever I travel. Hopefully I'll find more.

Getting from Kansai International Airport to Osaka City by Bus

The most economical way to get from Kansai International Airport to Osaka city is by bus.

The counter to purchase your ticket is at the arrival hall:

The counter accepts payment via credit card, which is a good thing if you want to ensure the existing cash (JPY) in your wallet (which you've converted before coming to Japan) will last you the whole trip. 

A one-way ticket from Kansai International Airport to the city costs JPY 1,550:

My first purchase in Japan was a bus ticket.

You may also buy your ticket at the machines outside the arrival hall where the buses are:

See the two staff standing there ... they're ready to assist anyone buy tickets from the machines, especially since all the instructions are in Japanese.

Airport buses also run from Kansai International Airport to other parts of the Kansai region like Kyoto, Kobe and Nara, all information is available in the Kansai Airport Transportation Enterprise website.

We joined the queue together with the other nihon jin:

Hidden in the photo: Staff collecting our luggage and lining them up so that the luggage can be placed in the belly of the bus immediately when it arrives.

While waiting for the bus, I went gallivanting to snap photos of the airport. Here are two photos:

The square shaped grey colloured airport building looks like the movie set of Ultraman, you know the one where Ultraman will fight the monster amidst the square shaped, grey buildings.

The bus ride to Osaka city took about an hour.

Along the way I saw the harbour, fishing boats, factories ... all so clean and well organised. I didn't take many photos because it's difficult to snap photos from a moving bus, but here's one:

Later I found out it's the Umeda Sky Building. Pardon the glass reflection.

Soon we arrived at the first stop where we got off, i.e. Hotel New Hankyu:

I saw this nice waiting area for travellers going to the airport:

Osaka has two airports: Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport.

Hotel New Hankyu links to the Umeda Station which is an integral part of the major transportation hub in Osaka city. From Umeda Station subway lines run to all parts of Osaka city and the Kansai region.

From Umeda Station we took the subway (not the sandwich) to get to our Airbnb in Aikawa.