Fukuoka
A Happy Winternights/Samhain/Halloween to one and all! It's taking some getting used to Northern hemisphere seasons/holidays again. This one's a little bittersweet, since one of our first classes, that started back in May at Pre-intermediate level has made it all the way through to Advanced level - it really makes a difference to see that kind of progress, but it's sad to see them go...
So, before I get into the travel pics, a couple from work.
These are from the Halloween Party we had last Friday.
And the view from the lifts on the 18th floor - I had to wait weeks to get a day clear enough to see the mountains of Mie prefecture in the distance - usually they're hidden behind the haze. On the right are the skyscrapers around Meieki (Nagoya Station) - apparently, after JR built their twin towers over the station, Toyota had to one-up them with a taller one.
Anyway, last weekend I went to Fukuoka to catch up with Andrew and Michiyo while they were visiting, and, of course, have a look around...
First stop was Fukuoka Castle. Unfortunately, there's nothing left of the castle except the foundations, but those are still pretty impressive. And there's a nice view of the city from the top.
Next to the castle grounds was Ouhori Park, which had its own little lake full of koi with islands and walking paths everywhere.
And on to the ultra-modern Yahoo! Dome. I wonder if they'll have to rename it the Softbank Dome, since Yahoo! and Vodafone merged...
They had these hands cast in bronze down one side of the stadium, presumably so you could shake hands with various celebrities...
...but would you shake this one? Creepy...
The corresponding ultra-modern hotel next to the stadium. Apparently, even after the bubble economy burst, this place is still packed out all year even at 5 star prices!
The massive artificial beach of Fukuoka's waterfront - that romantic-looking church, that looks like a possible remnant of the Portuguese traders that came here in the 16th century, is actually a modern wedding chapel. Not a real church, but a garish mock-up, built to satisfy the demand for Western-style weddings, which are all the rage here at the moment.
And the biggest tourist trap of them all, Fukuoka Tower, which seems to have no other purpose than to take tourists to the observation deck, and back down to the gift shop. Being dutiful tourists, we obliged...
A view of the wedding chapel from above...
The Fukuoka waterfront and that huge hotel...
...and Fukuoka stretching off to the mountains.
So, after a hard day's touristing, Andrew and I met up with Michiyo and friends for dinner (a great deal, too, a 3 hour nomihoudai (all-you-can-drink) and more food than we could cope with for only 3500 yen!) and karaoke. My karaoke skills are still very much under development, but at least I'm beginning to find a suitable repertoire of songs to sing beyond "Bohemian Rhapsody", despite the karaoke paradox - the songs I know and like, they don't have, and the ones they have, I don't know and/or like.
The next day, after a trip to the shops to get an emergency phone charge (should have brought my charger - just like with the Zippo, where I get one light after I've left the house before it runs out - I got three hours out and halfway on the shinkansen before the phone battery dropped to two bars) and stock up on Pocari Sweat (best hangover cure ever - right up there with Yum-cha!), we headed out to Dazaifu, which is famous for gardens, temples and being the centre of Kyushu's government from the time of the first Emperors. As with all such temple-complexes, the route from it to the train station is lined with little shops selling snacks and omiyage (souvenirs).
The approach to the temple is via a Buddhist garden with a pond built in the shape of the kanji for kokoro (heart/mind/spirit), with three bridges (past, present and future) to cross it. It was full of live turtles and, for some reason, concrete frogs.
Next the main gate, in a sort of Chinese style...
...and Tenmangu Shrine itself, dedicated to Michizane Sugawara, the god of literature and scholars. People come here to pray for good results on their exams.
At the time, the Shinto priest was performing a special blessing ceremony, which, like all things connected to education, cost a fortune...
For those without the time or money, you can hang a wish-plaque on the wall at the back of the shrine.
Some smaller shrines out the back.
From there, it was up the hill on one of the tallest escalators I've ever seen to reach the Kyushu National Museum, one of the best museums I've seen here. Brand-new, and in a funky mirrored building, it had a wide selection of goodies from the Stone Age to Admiral Perry's time and a free audio tour in English to boot! Needless to say, several hours were lost in this place...
Before departing, I had the chance to sample another highlight of the Fukuoka experience - tonkotsu ramen! The Lonely Planet Guide, of course, portrayed this as typical of the ramen experience in Fukuoka, but I later found out that it is unique to this particular shop, which you will be directed to if you ask about ramen at the information counter in Hakata Station. It was enough of a challenge to find the place, across the road and downstairs, lurking in the back corner of the underground mall, and upon entering, we found a rather bare atrium with a pair of vending machines, from which you obtain the ticket for your ramen, choosing whichever toppings you wish to have - of course, it's all in kanji, so I was thankful for having guidance handy. You then proceed through a curtain to a row of individual booths, each with a buzzer, a water tap to fill your glass as you please and a curtain to hide you from both the staff and the other customers - it was like a love hotel for ramen! Upon pressing the buzzer, you are given a questionnaire (at least they had one in English!), upon which you can further elaborate your ramen preferences, including the quantities of garlic, negi and "secret sauce", fat content, firmness of noodles, etc., etc. by ticking boxes. To be fair, it was very good ramen, but I'm not sure that having that level of choice improves the experience all that much...
So, before I get into the travel pics, a couple from work.
These are from the Halloween Party we had last Friday.
And the view from the lifts on the 18th floor - I had to wait weeks to get a day clear enough to see the mountains of Mie prefecture in the distance - usually they're hidden behind the haze. On the right are the skyscrapers around Meieki (Nagoya Station) - apparently, after JR built their twin towers over the station, Toyota had to one-up them with a taller one.
Anyway, last weekend I went to Fukuoka to catch up with Andrew and Michiyo while they were visiting, and, of course, have a look around...
First stop was Fukuoka Castle. Unfortunately, there's nothing left of the castle except the foundations, but those are still pretty impressive. And there's a nice view of the city from the top.
Next to the castle grounds was Ouhori Park, which had its own little lake full of koi with islands and walking paths everywhere.
And on to the ultra-modern Yahoo! Dome. I wonder if they'll have to rename it the Softbank Dome, since Yahoo! and Vodafone merged...
They had these hands cast in bronze down one side of the stadium, presumably so you could shake hands with various celebrities...
...but would you shake this one? Creepy...
The corresponding ultra-modern hotel next to the stadium. Apparently, even after the bubble economy burst, this place is still packed out all year even at 5 star prices!
The massive artificial beach of Fukuoka's waterfront - that romantic-looking church, that looks like a possible remnant of the Portuguese traders that came here in the 16th century, is actually a modern wedding chapel. Not a real church, but a garish mock-up, built to satisfy the demand for Western-style weddings, which are all the rage here at the moment.
And the biggest tourist trap of them all, Fukuoka Tower, which seems to have no other purpose than to take tourists to the observation deck, and back down to the gift shop. Being dutiful tourists, we obliged...
A view of the wedding chapel from above...
The Fukuoka waterfront and that huge hotel...
...and Fukuoka stretching off to the mountains.
So, after a hard day's touristing, Andrew and I met up with Michiyo and friends for dinner (a great deal, too, a 3 hour nomihoudai (all-you-can-drink) and more food than we could cope with for only 3500 yen!) and karaoke. My karaoke skills are still very much under development, but at least I'm beginning to find a suitable repertoire of songs to sing beyond "Bohemian Rhapsody", despite the karaoke paradox - the songs I know and like, they don't have, and the ones they have, I don't know and/or like.
The next day, after a trip to the shops to get an emergency phone charge (should have brought my charger - just like with the Zippo, where I get one light after I've left the house before it runs out - I got three hours out and halfway on the shinkansen before the phone battery dropped to two bars) and stock up on Pocari Sweat (best hangover cure ever - right up there with Yum-cha!), we headed out to Dazaifu, which is famous for gardens, temples and being the centre of Kyushu's government from the time of the first Emperors. As with all such temple-complexes, the route from it to the train station is lined with little shops selling snacks and omiyage (souvenirs).
The approach to the temple is via a Buddhist garden with a pond built in the shape of the kanji for kokoro (heart/mind/spirit), with three bridges (past, present and future) to cross it. It was full of live turtles and, for some reason, concrete frogs.
Next the main gate, in a sort of Chinese style...
...and Tenmangu Shrine itself, dedicated to Michizane Sugawara, the god of literature and scholars. People come here to pray for good results on their exams.
At the time, the Shinto priest was performing a special blessing ceremony, which, like all things connected to education, cost a fortune...
For those without the time or money, you can hang a wish-plaque on the wall at the back of the shrine.
Some smaller shrines out the back.
From there, it was up the hill on one of the tallest escalators I've ever seen to reach the Kyushu National Museum, one of the best museums I've seen here. Brand-new, and in a funky mirrored building, it had a wide selection of goodies from the Stone Age to Admiral Perry's time and a free audio tour in English to boot! Needless to say, several hours were lost in this place...
Before departing, I had the chance to sample another highlight of the Fukuoka experience - tonkotsu ramen! The Lonely Planet Guide, of course, portrayed this as typical of the ramen experience in Fukuoka, but I later found out that it is unique to this particular shop, which you will be directed to if you ask about ramen at the information counter in Hakata Station. It was enough of a challenge to find the place, across the road and downstairs, lurking in the back corner of the underground mall, and upon entering, we found a rather bare atrium with a pair of vending machines, from which you obtain the ticket for your ramen, choosing whichever toppings you wish to have - of course, it's all in kanji, so I was thankful for having guidance handy. You then proceed through a curtain to a row of individual booths, each with a buzzer, a water tap to fill your glass as you please and a curtain to hide you from both the staff and the other customers - it was like a love hotel for ramen! Upon pressing the buzzer, you are given a questionnaire (at least they had one in English!), upon which you can further elaborate your ramen preferences, including the quantities of garlic, negi and "secret sauce", fat content, firmness of noodles, etc., etc. by ticking boxes. To be fair, it was very good ramen, but I'm not sure that having that level of choice improves the experience all that much...
posted by Ia Ftaghn at 11:42 pm
3 Comments:
Well, I didn't mean to imply that tonkotsu ramen was unique to this place, certainly not, but rather the experience with the vending machines, questionnaire, etc. Thanks for picking that nit... :p
As for the comments, I'm not sure why. I'll see if I can fiddle with the settings...
Alright, I think I've got rid of that annoying feature now...
Yo Dan looks like you're having a great time. Nice pix too. Astro.
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