Visited the #Makurazaki station, the southernmost train station in #Japan. Ive nearly finished the four corners; I’ve already visited the northernmost and the easternmost stations before. Only 1 to go.

“Binta”, a bonito fish head cooked in broth.

When in #Makurazaki, do as locals do and eat some #bonito #fish.

Ocean view from my room

My room with tatami mats near the entrance and a western-style section near the window

🧵15/ Stormy night at #Makurazaki Ocean Hotel Iwato, with lightning piercing curtains, but beautiful ocean view at 06:00 🙂 I appreciated the ambiance in the whole building and the small open-air hot spring (perfect when alone at night). However, I was disappointed by the lack of coffee for breakfast…

Equipment inside the distillery

Storage area

Ingredients

Building and surroundings

🧵14/ First whisky distillery I ever visited, #Makurazaki Hinokami stands out during #FoodTourism in #Nansatsu with its all-glass modern building and huge semi-automated storage. See/touch/taste ingredients, learn in English, and question the interpreter. You'll soon be able to also taste #whisky 🥃

Room with many vats in which sweet potatoes ferment, with the main part invisible under the floor

Traditional wooden barrels connected to each other, and a Shinto charm representing the sky and lightning

6 bottles used for comparative tasting, with sweet potatoes in the bottom left

Distillery seen from outside

🧵13/ You know sake Japanese alcohol but not #shochu? Visit #Makurazaki Meijigura distillery during #Nansatsu #FoodTourism: English labels, interpreter, sweet potato checks, tastings… Like me, mix with a stick then enjoy the bubbling! Unexpectedly, this surpassed most of my visits at sake breweries 🍶

🧵12/ #Makurazaki developed #FoodTourism around its Makurazaki Katsuobushi dried bonito, protected by #Japan Ministry Of Agriculture. Local Nakahara Suisan innovates (dashi black vinegar gelée…) and teaches dashi making (1,200+ foreigners for miso-soup home cooking, ramen shop creation…). #Nansatsu

Stark challenge: #Nansatsu population halved since 1950! Its 4 cities are #Ibusuki 67,977→39,011, #Makurazaki 34,480→20,033, #MinamiKyushu 82,021→33,080, and #MinamiSatsuma 89,852→32,887. Officials thus strive to attract some of Japan's foreign tourists (37 millions in 2024 maybe 40 in 2025?). 🧵 2/

Significant M5.2 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Afternoon in the East China Sea near Kagoshima (Japan). Read the earthquake report to discover the risk of aftershocks, which places were closest to the epicenter and how common such earthquakes are in the area.

Significant M5.2 earthquake struck on Tuesday afternoon in the East China Sea near Kagoshima (Japan). #Earthquake #Japan #地震 #Makurazaki #Kagoshima #Fukuoka #Kumamoto