Kyushu

After leaving Yakushima, I returned to Kagoshima on Kyushu. I spent a few days there, exploring the city as well as Sakurajima, a volcano that is a 10 minute ferry ride from downtown Kagoshima. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate so I was unable to see the peak of the volcano.
I then went to Kumamoto, to see Kumamoto Castle, which although it was interesting, can't compare with Himeji Castle. After Kumamoto, I went to Fukuoka, a very interesting city about the same size as Vancouver. Apparently, the city is famous for its tonkotsu ramen (pork broth soup) and its bijin (beautiful women). I didn't try the soup, but they're certainly not wrong about the second part. I will be returning in the near future.
The one thing I realized from this trip, is that travelling in Japan would be that much more enjoyable if my Japanese was a higher level so I could have real conversations with people. Therefore, I've decided to put in more time studying so that for my next trip in August, I will be able to hold simple conversations with people.