Some things we brought home from Kyushu

 

New towels, for going in a natural onsen we skipped due to all the naked old men already in it

Coffee beans (strong) from Stax, the first place near us on Yakushima to open in the morning and serve coffee but not for hours after we woke up

Organic Kagoshima ginger ale

Tankan juice, one of the many local citrus fruits

Jar of Takachiho butter, mmmm

Nanja kora daifuku (8, cold-packed), one of my favorite occasional treats in Miyazaki, mochi stuffed with red bean paste, a chestnut, a strawberry, and a cube of cream cheese

Yakusugi ring, to carry around a little of the power of the ancient forest
Yakusugi chopsticks (3 pairs), for gifts
Hard brown sugar lumps, tankan flavor: delicious, and it's not like you're just eating a piece of sugar; it has minerals in it so it's fine

Fluffy salt, hand made from coral-rich sea water

Saigo Takamori postcards, because I have a few friends who are crazy about this guy
Cinnamon balls for the road, more like root beer barrels (do you know them?) than American cinnamon candy
Used socks, from the friends I was staying with because I am a packing genius
New socks from Masamiya, one of the zillion gigantic deep discount shops that's opened since I left Miyazaki

Sneakers (Don Quijote), very cheap, because I also didn't bring any shoes fit for forest walking

Green tea, for gifts

Did you think there would be something cute at the end like "the newfound knowledge that my old pal from Miyazaki drives a Hummer now"? Nah. (But he does.)