That was the description of Unzen Jigoku in the tour pamphlet that was distributed before the scheduled date of our Intensive Japanese Class Education Tour. And, the moment we entered the premises of the place, I understood why it was described as such.
The pungent fume all over the place was so heady that I was first in doubt if I can last the approximately 20-minute walk through the sulfuric steamed pathway towards the highest point of the area.
Nakakasulasok. I only understood the intensity of that Filipino word in that place. A very natural thing as breathing became even a feat. Ikaw ba naman suminghot nang sangkatutak na sulfur kung hindi mo pakiki-usapan ang baga mo na huwag mag give-up sa paghinga.😣 But then, everything is about conditioning. And besides, I'm an expert in distracting my own self. Ahahahaha. So, when I noticed the almost surreal, billowing steam (Which, I remind you, is highly sulfuric.)--- making the surrounding appear like a misty dream and add to that the subtle bursts of colors of the onset of autumn in the background, I was back to my happy "lakwatsera" bubble and I swear I would have debated the person who described the place as "hell" right there and then had the sulfuric smell were non-existent.
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Unzen Jigoku is a geothermal area in Shimabara, a volcanic city in the east of the Nagasaki Prefecture. The term "jigoku" literally means "hell", as attributed to the strong sulfuric smell all over the place which conjures the fearsome image of hell itself.
Aside from the walk through the billowing white, sulfuric steam, there are also "pasalubong" stores and restaurants around the area. However, Unzen is most famous for its public baths called "onsen" in Japanese. Do not confuse the two, ha? Ahahaha. Unzen is the place while onsen is the public bath in which you dip into a pool, totally naked, with strangers. You read it right. But there's no such event in this post. Nag-iipon pa ako ng lakas ng loob para sa " future onsen experience" ko. And, if ever that happens, I'll be writing about the experience here, minus the photos of course. Definitely without any photos. 😅
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| With my Indonesian friends, Rifdah and Vassadelah. |
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| With my fellow MEXT scholar, Ifoema. |
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| At the end of the journey through hell is a piece of heaven----- fooooood!!!! |
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