Day 8 (June 8, 2026)

Konnichiwa! Hi, everybody. Welcome to Day 8 of our Japan PolyGloba travel plan. This is Lilah and Elizabeth, your tour guides for the day. We started at our inn and had a final delicious breakfast where everyone was able to make seaweed rice rolls in the morning. Then we packed up all of our belongings and left our inn (for the past two days). Part of our preparation for departure was putting away the futons, involving stripping away the sheets for the cover, futon base, and pillow. We said our final goodbyes and took one last picture with our wonderful hosts. We will forever remember their energy, gratitude and kindness. We then boarded the bus to go visit the actual buddha 40’ rock sculptures that we had seen replicas of before. After a long hike up millions of rocky steps we were able to see the two carved granite statues and learn about their stories. The sun buddha (on the right) tries to speak to everyone but not everyone will listen. Therefore, he enlists the help of the angry buddha (on the left) to cut out the evil parts of humanity with his sword. The angry buddha also has two sidekicks, one mischievous and one obedient. We then hiked further up to a Shinto shrine where Jessica got to ring the bell and made a wish using the traditional methods. Later, we drove to another trail where we first saw the treasure room where there were 1,000-year-old statues. Before trekking up to three lookout points, we launched our hike with Joseph, then Nicholas, ringing a very old bell (we learned that during WWII, the Japanese government melted several shrine bells on Honshu Island, but did not confiscate bells on Kunisaki). Our hike included three destinations: a shrine within a cave and two picture-perfect vistas over a valley of rice fields. The shrine had an interesting rock formation next to it where we all tested our honesty by walking through the crack; if the rock above fell upon our heads, we would be deemed dishonest. The cave next to the shrine was home to many bats that luckily, our many professional photographers (Santi, Joseph, Kelland, and Jess) were able to snag photos of. Our personal favorite comedian, Mr. Caragher, hid behind a rock near the exit and proceeded to scare a classmate jumping out and shouting, “Hi ________!” When we returned from our adventure, we had a delicious lunch. The restaurant we went to specialized in a dish known to the Oita Prefecture, a soup with knife-cut noodles and lots of yummy vegetables. There, we dined on tatami mats and took some to time to unwind. Afterwards, we were back on the road! We went shopping and found amazingly real strawberry soft ice cream and the most futuristic coffee vending machine, complete with customizations such as sugar level and toppings. That was our last stop before boarding the ferry to go to Himeshima Island, where we are staying on for the night. Ultimately, after walking through the rain, we reached our destination for the night: the alluring ryokan from where we are currently writing. The inn has remarkable views, is quaint, beautiful, picturesque, and offers a deep history including a very special hole made by a rock from a bomb in WWII. We hope to learn more about Japanese history and obtain more deep cultural experiences. Himeshima contributes about 40% of Tokyo’s shrimp market – shrimp is thus one of the delicious fares on the menu tonight. Thank you for reading today's blog. Ganbare! Elizabeth and Lilah The Rock of Honesty (if you are dishonest, legend claims, the rock will fall on you...); keep it airborne Joseph:-)
Lilah calmly walks through the 'Rock of Honesty' Steps!
Yo speaking with the group about the trails and shrines
Exterior of our ryokan
The interior of our ryokan- notice Santi's book
lunch time

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