Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

1-1 Huis Ten Bosch-cho, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan Daily: 9.00am - 10.00pm It was in 2018 when I first heard about Huis Ten Bosch (lit. House in the Woods), a Dutch-themed amusement park in Japan that resembles a town in the Netherlands with canals and windmills, from an online friend who had a blast there. It's named after a royal palace in The Hague, a former home of Queen Beatrix from 1981 until her abdication in 2014.

10 Huis Ten Bosch-cho, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan Sun-Thu: 9.00am - 9.00pm Fri-Sat: 9.00am - 10.00pm Shiba inu is a Japanese hunting dog breed that's well-loved by many. Look no further than Mameshiba Café should you wish to pet and play with those adorable smaller-sized dogs. One session at the café lasts 30 minutes, and if you're lucky, you can get another 30 minutes for free should there be no other guests coming in.

Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan Once a small fishing village, Sasebo is an important port city in the Nagasaki Prefecture of the Land of the Rising Sun. Truth be told, it was one of the original targets selected by the USA for the dropping of the atomic bomb. It's now the base for Japan Self-Defense Force and home to Fleet Activities Sasebo, an overseas US Navy base.

10 Huis Ten Bosch-cho, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan Okura Hotels and Resorts is an international chain of accommodations that was founded in Japan in 1958. The group behind the chain also owns Hotel JAL City and Hotel Nikko chains. Inspired by Amsterdam Centraal, the main railway station in Amsterdam , the Netherlands, Hotel Okura JR Huis Ten Bosch (4*) stands adjacent to the lovely Dutch-themed amusement park.

[Tsubame 322] Kumamoto - Shin Tosu  (35m) ETD: 12.11pm (GMT + 9) ETA:  12.46pm (GMT + 9) On the last day of the validity of our 5-day JR Northern Kyushu Area Pass, my BFFs and I departed Kumamoto for Huis Ten Bosch in Sasebo. We took the shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) from Kumamoto railway station to Shin Tosu railway station, and then changed to the orange-bodied Huis Ten Bosch train to our final destination.

Kumamoto City, Kumamoto, Japan Being the capital city of one of the prefectures in Kyushu that shares the same name, Kumamoto covers a total area of approximately 390 square kilometres. Having an abundant supply of high quality underground water, it's the place where the tradition of eating basashi (lit. raw horse meat) began, although nowadays the horse meat is considered a delicacy.

8-2 Tetorihoncho, Tsuruya Department Store, Chuo, Kumamoto, Japan Daily: 10.00am - 7.00pm Who hasn't seen Kumamon before? Created by the government of Kumamoto Prefecture in 2010 to draw tourists to the region after the opening of Kyushu Shinkansen line, the black bear has been enjoying tremendous popularity not only in Japan, but also throughout the world. When in town, you can see it in action at Kumamon Square.

1-1 Honmaru, Chuo, Kumamoto, Japan Sun & Public Holidays: 9.00am - 5.00pm [till end March 2020] Kumamoto Castle is one of the most impressive castles in Japan, even though only a few structures have survived since its construction in the early 1600s. Unfortunately, it has sustained serious damages from a series of violent earthquakes in April 2016. At the point of writing, the castle complex is undergoing extensive restoration that may take up to 20 years to complete.

1-14-19 Kasuga, Nishi, Kumamoto, Japan From eastern Kyushu, we shall move on to Kumamoto that's located in the central region of the island. The Route Inn group was founded in 1977, currently operating many branches across the country. One of which is Hotel Route Inn Kumamoto Ekimae (3*) is just a few minutes away from Kumamoto railway station.

Yufuin, Oita, Japan Yufuin is a lovely hot spring town in Kyushu with an area of approximately 127.7 square kilometres. It's located on a flat river basin surrounded by mountains with the twin-peaked Mount Yufu as the most prominent feature of the town's backdrop. Increasingly more hot spring baths are available for tourists, but quite a number remain strictly for local residents only.

Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufuin, Oita, Japan Literally meaning 'golden fish scale', Kinrin Lake in Yufuin is famous for the mist created on its surface as a result of the mixing of hot spring water and cold spring water. The lake is named such as it's inhabited by yellow fish whose scales appear like golden sparkles to the eyes when the sun sets.