Hot as hell and the A/C is feeling less than adequate? You could go hang out at the local Youme Town and rot under the fluorescent glow of consumerism, or you could hitch a ride to Ryutosen. Located between Ureshino and Omura-shi, Nagasaki, Ryutosen boasts an 18-meter high waterfall (minus the patented Japanese cement job) which cascades into a pool that reportedly measures 23 meters in depth. I’m not sure exactly how deep it is, but I do know you can dive from the water’s edge without fear of un-doing thousands of dollars worth of pre-pubescent orthodontic work. Not up for diving or even swimming? Then just relax on the stone floor that encircles the water’s edge.

Is the waterfall a bit to tranquil for you? Wander about 90 meters downstream and behold a second deep pool surrounded by rocks of various heights. This is the place for those seeking adventure, the place where the men are separated from the boys. Start with the rope swing and work your way up. The “jumps” range from about four to ten meters. The jump next to the staircase, which requires a running start, is a personal favorite and is highly recommended to anyone out there who hasn’t felt alive in years.

A word of caution: People have died at Ryutosen. In June of 2004, A U.S. serviceman fell to his death while trying to climb the cliff along the waterfall. I’ve seen others successfully do this climb and the subsequent jump, but do so at your own discretion and risk. Also, never swim alone. Duh.

A word of false caution: There are numerous signs along the approach to the waterfall that say swimming is prohibited. I wouldn’t worry about this, as enforcement seems to be non-existent against both Japanese and foreigners. The reason they give for not swimming is that “the water temperature is too low”. In other words, swimming here equals hypothermia. Unless you’re stupid enough to go swimming in the dead of winter, I wouldn’t give a second thought to this preposterous warning. Enjoy yourself.

Getting there

From Route 34 in Ureshino:

1. Take a left at Route 6. You will stay on this for about a 20 minute drive through the countryside. Marvel at the Japanese cement work.
2. Eventually, you will see a school. Turn right here.
3. Follow the road as it curves to the right.
4. You will see a brown farmhouse on your right. Turn left right after/at this house.
5. This road will take you through some lovely grasslands, most of which belong to the Japanese Self Defense Forces. Follow the road.
6. Turn left at the tea farm, following the signs for “Ikoi no Hiroba”. Stay on this road (ignore the smaller turn offs).
7. After about two minutes, you’ll see a sign for Ryutosen spelled incorrectly as “Rytosen.”

You’ve made it! Park your car and walk down the stairs to what will hopefully be a wonderful experience.

There are several places that you can go to get your groove on depending on what your music preference is.

Club O/D

Club O/D has a variety of events and will typically have a few good house events every month. It can be pricey depending on the event. Expect to pay 2000 yen for a monthly event and 3000 for special events. The venue is spacious for Japanese standards and has a dark, subdued ambiance. There are lockers (thought not too many of them). The crowd is mostly 20 something Japanese that softly sway and step to the music.

Q’s

Q’s is another dance club that hosts a variety of events. They seem to have more hip/hop and reggae events than house or techno events. Generally speaking the cover charge is 500 yen less than O/D. The venue has a good amount of seating and feels roomier than O/D. There is a lot of locker space.

Keith Flack

Keith Flack is a smaller dance club whose ambiance resembles that of a bar more than a club. But, on the right night, it can be a fun place to dance. You’ll have to check at the door to find out what’s on for the night. They also print out a monthly schedule that you can get your hands on at a lot of different music oriented outlets.

(Note: these are merely my opinions and suggestions. I purposely left out food and people as highlights, but definitely try the local food and meet some local people. I guarantee it’ll make your trip more interesting. Another note: one person’s dream vacation is another’s nightmare and vice versa, so take care when listening to other people’s opinions of places to go — including my own. Do your own research, relax when you get there and have fun. Bon voyage!)

Thinking of travelling outside of Japan this year? The best advice is to plan ahead, especially for those peak holiday travel times (Christmas, Golden Week and summer vacation). Generally speaking, it is best to check prices and book a flight about three to four months in advance. In most cases, booking well in advance still only guarantees you a spot on a waiting list. What’s going on, you ask? My guess is your friendly travel agent is putting you (tormented soul with money in hand) on the waiting list so that they can wait and see if a big tour bus full of package tourists will be taking the same flight and hence spending a lot more money on their flight, hotels and car rental. Pure economics my friend. It seems to be common practice here. But not to worry, if you start early, you’ll more than likely be going on your trip. The point is book early and you’ll be the first in line on the waiting list; book at the last minute and you’ll be at the end of the queue. Simple as that.

The most common travel agencies are JTB and H.I.S. Feel free to pop in, grab a calendar and start finding cheap quotes. Another option is to e-mail Ogizuka-san (ogizuka@willtour.com) at WillTour in Fukuoka (she speaks English and is very quick getting back to your requests).

Tips

1. Feel free to book a few flights to a few different destinations. You can always cancel the ones you don’t want later.
2. Always check about visas ahead of time. Most travel agents will let you know and many can do the paperwork for you (at a price). Cambodia, China, Laos and Vietnam all definitely require visas. China and Vietnam will cost you at least 10,000 yen to do in Japan. Cambodia and Laos are much cheaper to have done in Bangkok.
3. For some destinations (e.g. Okinawa and Bali) you might want to ask about a package trip. The flight with hotel and car rental just might be cheaper than a flight alone.
4. March and the beginning of April is when many ALTs find they have little or no work. It’s a great time to get away and take advantage of some cheaper fares.

Destinations

Don’t know where to go? Here’s a quick list of popular spots for holiday-bound JETs.

Australia

• highlights: scuba diving, beaches, nature, everyone speaks English like Paul Hogan
• best time to go: winter here in Japan, summer there

Cambodia

• highlights: Angkor Wat, the killing fields
• definitely the poorest country in S.E. Asia
• need a visa
• best time to go: winter (dry season) / summer (rainy season, but the jungle is lush around Angkor)

China

• highlights: Great Wall, Forbidden City, terracotta warriors, hill tribes, natural beauty
• keep in mind that it’s a big country and Tibet is easier to reach from Nepal
• need a visa
• best time to go: spring or fall

Fiji

• highlights: scuba diving, surfing, great beaches
• a more expensive destination than southeast. Asia, but for many, when are you going to visit South Pacific islands again?
• direct from Seoul
• best time to go: summer

Indonesia

• highlights: Bali, Lombok, temples, culture, Kodomo dragons, scuba diving, surfing
• best time to go: summer

Laos

• highlights: Van Vieng, Luang Prabang, incredible scenery, hill tribes, the Mekong River, plain of jars
• need a visa
• best time to go: winter

Malaysia

• highlights: Sabah, Sarawak, scuba diving, nature, wildlife
• best time to go: spring

New Caledonia

• highlights: French colony, scuba diving, tribes, reggae music
• one of the most expensive South Pacific islands
• a great bike trip destination
• direct from Osaka
• best time to go: summer

New Zealand

• highlights: spectacular nature, hiking, camping, skiing, snowboarding
• best time to go: if you like snow head in the summer; if not, winter

Philippines

• highlights: lots of little islands, scuba diving, wonder of the world rice terraces
• best time to go: winter or spring

South Korea

• highlights: shopping in Seoul, nature, DMZ
• from Saga it’s easy to do as a long weekend either flying to Seoul or taking the Beetle (hydrofoil) to Pusan
• best time to go: autumn or spring

Thailand

• highlights: temples, hill tribes, elephants, beaches, scuba diving
• considered by many to be the easiest place to start travelling in southeast Asia (i.e. lots of JETs)
• best time to go: winter

Vietnam

• highlights: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An (hand tailored goods), Mekong Delta, Vietcong tunnels, hill tribes
• need a visa
• best time to go: winter

Wellington-boot throwing competition. Cock fights. Standing with a vegetarian friend and gaping at an atrocious parade of slain moose mounted on the back of pick-up trucks. Sleeping rough in St. Mark’s Square, with nothing but a box of tic-tacs for nourishment and torn pages of a magazine for warmth. Up until the last weekend of May 2004, I was content with my repertoire of absurd experiences. Not bad, ne? I hadn’t expected to add to the list. Well, not in Japan, and certainly not whilst living in my new adopted home called Kashima.

But, as a recent importee to this fair town, locals were persistent in their attempts to explain all that Kashima has to offer. The Yutoku Shrine (the third largest in Japan), the onsen and many pachinkos for the gamblers. I’d heard mention of an olympics of some kind and immediately thought “agggggggggg!” There’s nothing like the hint of a participatory sporting event to put the fear of God into comatose muscles.

“Oh, Tatami-san, I can barely contain myself until the end of May. A sports day! And in the sweltering heat, bring it on (?)! Dehydration; sweat-saturation, (linguistic) frustration, isolation, exasperation, (shogakusei) inundation. Don’t make me go!”

It had slipped my slippery mind to inquire as to what gata meant. Gata, blah, potatoes. Lie low, they’ll forget about it.

Well, gata, I discovered, means mud. And olympics is fairly obvious: images of leaping ensembles of finely tuned muscles triple-vaulting, steeple chasing, playing chess. What in the name of shrouded Afghans has mud got to do with all this?

Let us fast-forward ourselves to the day of the spectacle. Suitable attire? Nothing you’d deem valuable or ever hope to wear again. Setting? The shores of the Ariake Sea (any beach scene works; imagine the collection ground of the excesses of a diahorea epidemic and you have the picture). Mud took the place of sand.

The list of events to be considered: surfing, 100m swim, lady’s wrestling, tug of war, cycling, Tarzan jumps. The 100m mud swim could be equated to those dreams where you’re trying desperately to run but whilst tied to a burdensome hundred pound weight. You’re going nowhere fast. Able-bodied men mounted bicycles, looking out to the mud-soaked subversive fifteen-inch wide ramp of danger they must attempt to orienteer. It’s an achievement to manage one full pedal rotation before veering into the chocolaty waters. The mud’s subliminal urge to derail contestants could neither be subdued nor defied.

Six hours later, none of the participants were recognizable. A menagerie of sea-urchin-like athletes posed for pictures under a crepuscular sun whilst waiting to be hosed down by firemen.

I’m afraid I lack the literary wherewithal to do justice to the regality of the day. I can pledge, though, that this experience will surely top the yardsticks in harebrained-ness and hilarity. I think the photos speak for themselves.

Most rock climbing areas in Kyushu offer bolted sport routes typically one pitch in length. For those living in Saga-ken, there are several rock climbing areas that are easily accessible. With the exception of the rainy season or dead of winter, you can climb all year. Japanese climbers are generally sociable and safety conscious. Climbing gear can be purchased at Base Camp in Saga City (west of kencho on Route 207).

Nodake

Nodake is located in Nagasaki-ken, between the city of Omura (Nagasaki-ken) and Kashima (Saga-ken). A small mountain road off Route 444 provides access. Nodake has routes ranging from 5.7 to 5.13 in difficulty. The biggest concentration of climbs is in the 5.11 range. All routes are bolted and the rock is generally of good quality.

Ryutosen

Ryutosen is located in Nagasaki-ken. It’s only a 20-minute drive from the town of Ureshino. It’s another sport climbing area with a concentration of difficult 5.11 and 5.12 climbs.

Taku High School

Taku High School has an outdoor climbing wall as well as an indoor bouldering gym. Used mostly by the school’s climbing club, the wall is, however, open to the public free of charge on Wednesday evenings. You’ll need to bring your own rope.

Azumaya

Azumaya is a small climbing area with a dozen short routes. Most of the routes are characterized by dime ledges that require precise edging and painful crimping. It’s close to anyone living in eastern Saga.

Hyugami

Hyugami is located in Fukuok-ken, near the border with Oita-ken. It’s about 25 kilometers from the town of Yame on Route 442. Hyugami has several distinct climbing areas consisting of single and multi-pitch sport routes, slabs and aid routes (fixed pro). There’s an abandoned campsite that climbers use to spend the night.

Other

There are other climbing areas in Oita-ken (Honjo, Hachimenzan), Fukuoka-ken (Hiraodai), Miyazaki-ken (Hokodake, Hiezan) and Kagoshima-ken.