AYA CON DIOS ...!

It was "like a bridge over troubled waters" today in Miyazaki as I decided to venture out of my hotel and see something of this fascinating city believed in Japanese mythology to be the birthplace of the Gods. Miyazaki is about as far south as you can get in Japan. It's on the Southernmost tip of Kyushu, the Southernmost of Japan's four major islands. The locals call it "tropical" but, if you ask me, that's just wishful thinking. Then, again, who am I to criticize the climate? I've spent most of the week holed-up in a meeting room. To rectify the situation, I hopped in a taxi and said to the driver, "I have an hour-and-a-half. Can you take me to the best sites in Miyazaki?" "Yes, yes," said the driver, exercising the full extent of his English. As we drove through increasingly remote areas, I began to fear he was going to leave me in a rice paddy or at one of the island's numerous active volcanoes. Instead, he took me to the Aya Teruha Suspension Bridge, a pedestrian bridge towering 465 feet over the Aya Minami River leading to what is called the shoyojurin, one of the "best virgin forests in the Orient." Through an elaborate system of hand-gestures, the driver explained that I only had time to walk across the bridge and back. I was happy to oblige. I had heard of this bridge, that it was considered a feat of Japanese engineering, but I couldn't remember why. I was midway across when it suddenly occurred to me: There's nothing connecting this bridge to the ground ... it's held aloft by several cables running between two mountain peaks. Miyazaki, like most of Japan, is also known for its seismic activity. I quickened my pace and made it back to the cab just in time to set off for my next meeting.