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| Above, Fukuoka Tower. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
It was an all-day trip via shinkansen to Kyushu from Tokyo, but it was well worth the trip. The views of the Japanese countryside were enjoyable along the way.
My first stay was in Kumamoto, which is essentially the "gateway to Mt. Aso Volcano National Park." Mt. Aso was featured in the movie Rodan (1956).
When I took a commuter train to Mt. Aso, I found the park in blizzard conditions, which prevented any good views of the volcano.
It wasn't a total loss as I stopped at the visitor center, which had numerous displays and a televised view inside the volcano's caldera.
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| Above, the view from Mt. Aso ropeway station. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
From there, I made my way to Nagasaki, the second city in Japan to be blasted by an atomic bomb during World War II. I visited the city's Peace Park as well as the Hypocenter Park (both are considered one park, but most separate the two when describing them).
Nakasaki has no kaiju locations, but the atomic bombings of World War II influenced the creation of Godzilla and is worth a visit.
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| Above, the Nagasaki a-bomb hypocenter memorial. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
After Nagasaki, I took another train to Sasebo to visit the Saikai Bridge, which was also featured in Rodan. I photographed the Hario Straits (where the bridge is located), the bridge and the Hario Wireless Towers (that transmitted the command to attack Pearl Harbor in December 1941).
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| Above, the Fukuoka Yahoo Dome. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
From Nakasaki, I took a commuter train to Fukuoka (Kyushu's largest city). In Fukuoka, I visited the Fukuoka Yahoo Dome, which was featured in Gamera, Guardian of the Universe in 1995 and Fukuoka Tower, which was featured in 1994's Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.
These locations and more are covered in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.
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