Kagoshima

There wasn't anything really interesting to see in Kagoshima itself (more shrines and castles maybe), so Becky and I were booked on a brewery tour instead.

We had a very interesting ride on a small bus up into the mountains to the Hioki brewery, where we sampled the local spirit called shochu.  Shochu is like sake in that it starts off with fermented rice, but after the first fermentation they add sweet potatoes to the mash to add flavour during the 2nd fermentation. 

First we donned our special hairnets and footwear to walk around the brewing area. Then we returned to the tasting room to sample 3 of their products. Some of  these spirits were 41%, so I was pretty squiffy afterwards.  

Back on the bus the guide tried to sober us up by plying us with rice cakes and crackers, cookies, caramel corn, etc.  Our next destination was a pottery making Satsuma wear, so I  guess she didn't want us stumbling around and breaking stuff.  We watched people making the pottery and visited the kiln and a pottery museum before exiting via the shop, where I got Becky a birthday present.  

We did the quizzes back on board in the afternoon. The weather wasn't great as we left port, but that didn't stop the locals from seeing us off with a school  marching band, a very bad singer and a woman with balloon animals blowing bubbles. It's the thought that counts.