企業訪問 Company Visits 6.28-6.30

At last I have experienced the crown jewel of the LBAT program, the string of corporate visits. On the first day we went to the Kitakyushu Eco Town. This was one of the foremost "eco parks", a major research center for development of large and small scale sustainable technology. This park, rapidly developing, is home …

Oita Homestay

Over the weekend ending on June the 25th, the LBAT'ers got paired with a host family in Beppu, Oita, or Hiji, and got to get a real taste of Japanese family life. I was personally placed in Oita, with the Nishidas, a jolly family of three, with a young boy of nine named Ryou. This …

Day Trip to Biomass Power Plant and Hachibaru Geothermal Power Plant

We dedicated the 6th of June to visiting some of Kyushu's primary power plants. We first went to the Biomass power plant, which utilizes wood biomass from the forests surrounding Hita. We were kindly given a presentation by one of the power plant workers, during which he gave a detailed description of the processes in …

The Serene City of Nagasaki

Included in the LBAT program was a weekend trip to Nagasaki. A breathtaking three hour coach bus ride away from our Beppu residence, we soaked in countless views of morning Japanese country side. Once we got into the city, we alighted swiftly and headed to our first destination, the Oura Catholic Church, a mid-19th century …

Weekend Fun! Beppu 海卵水族館 Umitamago Aquarium and 高崎山 Takasaki Mountain!

Only a fifteen minute ride away from downtown Beppu station, the combination of Umitamago and adjacent Takasaki Mountain is an irresistible one! A 2,500 yen ticket purchased at the Travel Information office inside of the Beppu Train Station will make for a day full of fun! Offering one of a kind closeness with a substantial …

The First Week of My APU Life

Figuring this place out.