From Yokohama through the Kanmon Passage to Beppu.

Third Cruise from Yokohama - 8th July 2014.
Because of a typhoon hitting the south of Japan we couldn't take the intended course to the south to Kobe where we were to spend two nights, so we could enjoy the delights of cruising the Inside Sea of Japan the next day. Instead we were compelled to cruise to the north, around the largest island of Japan - Honshu - and down the western coast to the Kanmon Passage, a narrow strait separating Honshu from Kyushu. This diversion, of three sea days, meant we would completely miss out the city of Kobe and the sight seeing cruise. For this we were recompensed to the tune of $100. each - better than naught!
The passage through the strait was quite interesting and reminiscent of going through the canals. The traffic was quite incredible and the shore lines full of heavy industry - this was really the only time we encountered heavy air pollution.
Not only was this a major shipping channel from Sth. Korea shortcutting the route to Osaka and Tokyo but also accessed the Inland Sea - but from the wrong side for us, and a day late. Never mind - on this - the third cruise - I had determined we would relax a little more, still living in hope of blue skies and swims, even if it was just in the ships pools. Having missed a port we hadn't visited yet we were about to revisit two others.
We arrived at Beppu on the north-eastern coast of Kyushu. This is a city of 122.000 which boasts visitor numbers of 12million per year. The main attractions are the numerous hot pools and bathing resorts. As a consequence the town view was dotted with columns of steam rising slowly to the sky.
We joined our bus for a half day tour to the boiling hells!!! The main pool was coloured red from the minerals therein - hence the name thought to resemble hell. It certainly was a hell of a hot!! I bathed my feet in a foot bath said to rejuvenate. It certainly was soothing. We visited a second pool - this one brilliant blue - the influence of copper in the surrounding rocks.
Next visit was to a mountain. Here the local monkey population had been causing a nuisance by stealing the food crops. The locals decided to feed them. It worked. But now the monkeys are somewhat dependant on the daily feeding - well every half hour actually. There are three groups of monkeys but as the late summer natural foods are plentiful one group decided not to come down so the occupying group had a feast!! When the feed buckets came out it was like a plague of rats!!! All running and screeching with babies hanging on to wherever they could get a grip even if it was up mum's rear!! Although these monkeys are wild, I think the regular and over feeding has probably caused a population boom. Monkeys I saw in the Tokyo Zoo much later looked heaps more healthy, but they're always so cute. Of course this is now a huge tourist attraction. The fact that the mountain is beside a busy motorway is not  problem - build a car park out into the sea and make a huge walkway over the motorway, complete with elevators for those not so able!! Nothing is a problem when you have a large population and amazing technology and know how - roads, bridges, tunnels, cable cars.
I will add some photos later as, being home now, the big PC is much easier to use BUT the photos are on the laptop!!OOOps.