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  Do you remember the time when you counted the days until the field trip and couldn’t sleep because you were all excited about it? Or maybe there were times when you were afraid the field trip might get canceled from the bad weather and checking the forecast every time you wake up. You might have felt frustrated or worried then. But with all those feelings in mind, you eventually took your mother’s home-made lunch box, and left the house with joy. This is something you probably have experienced during your childhood.
  As I became older, I have realized that during my childhood, I wasn’t able to experience something more than what I had when I was young. But, I wasn’t disappointed, because there was something better than a school field trip, a vacation! Vacation is an opportunity for people to have a break and refresh ourselves from a tired and boring everyday lives. Also, it is a time in life when people can have, once again, those excitements, in their childhood.
  The vacation I went four years ago, a trip to Kyusyu, was the most memorable trips of all. There are two reasons why I think this. The first reason is this vacation was a gift from my family to congratulate me for having to overcome the difficulties and being able to enter at a university. The second reason is this vacation was the first time to travel abroad with my whole family.
  For the first time in my life, I traveled in Kyusyu. There are four places I want to introduce to you. First place was the village of Yufuin in Oita Prefecture. It is located in a highland 452 meters above the sea level, holds the peaceful atmosphere with fresh air. In this village, the villagers sold many cute and gorgeous products.
  Second place was the city located an hour away from Yufuin called Beppu, where it is widely known not just in Japan but also in Korea. This place was amazing because it is the biggest place in Japan where many hot springs erupt. This hot springs, however, emit from below 300 meters with hot steam and mud water creates a place like hell. These hot springs were called JigokuOnsen. These Onsen as Japanese think them like hell. Along with the JigokuOnsen, there was a different type called an UmiJigoku, the hell of the sea. This Onsen got its name from the mixture of the dark emerald light, similar to the ocean color, of the lake and the hot steam appearing just above the surface. Each of the eight hot springs holds different traits from each other and I was able to understand them from the translated explanations kindly placed near each of the hot springs. From visiting these Onsen, I enjoyed, for the first time, the hot springs there.
  Third place was the Mount Aso, a largest active volcano in Japan. The magnificent nature there took my breath away. You can’t find anything like this in Korea. Also, there is the Kumamoto Castle, considered as one of the premier castles in Japan along with the Himeji Castle and Matsumoto Castle. It still keeps the trace of the history. They are the two most famous places in Kyusyu areas.
  I also want to mention the Dazaifu Tenmangu in Fukuoka Prefecture. This Shinto shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, who is known as the god of scholarship. This Shinto shrine is listed as one of the important cultural properties of Japan. This place was judged by the Japanese Agency as the important place for Japanese people. Every year, many people visit the Dazaifu Tenmangu to pray and worship their gods. When I visited there, I saw many high school students, visiting by a chartered bus, to pray for good luck on their upcoming exams.
  Traveling, I think, matters who you travel with: friends or family. To me, I felt I had a wonderful vacation and a fantastic time because I traveled with my lovely family. After four years passed, each person in my family is going back to the busy life. But sometimes we think back to those terrific times we had together on a Kyusyu trip. Although I am living with my family, it is not easy to spend time together with them since we all have our own work to do. However, the little time, and the memories we spent together will never be forgotten. These memories, with my friends and family, will give me strength throughout my whole life.
  I think it is a good idea to sometimes leave every work you have to do behind and go traveling. It not only gives you time to relax but it also gives you the chance to get to know about yourself better. So through away what you got in front of you and travel somewhere with your neighbors, your family, or your friends! There might be a chance, when you go traveling, to feel those excitements just like when you were young!!

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