5 Nov 07 - Fukuoka (Part IV)

The shopping areas in Fukuoka. On travel books, they often said Fukuoka is great for shopping. I believe that it is true because all the shopping areas are so big~!

Tenjin Underground Shopping Arcade

This is one part of Tenjin underground shopping arcade. I entered into a small shopping centre and its basement is connected to Tenjin underground shopping arcade. Along the walkway, there are many little shops. Feels like citylink but it is definitely more confusing. At least citylink is just a long stretch easier to shop. For Tenjin underground shopping arcade, there are several links to shopping centres that are above it. So it's quite difficult to walk around if you are not sure of the places. :s I merely did window shopping because my luggage was already too heavy for me to carry to Miyazaki and I was really unsure whether I will have enough cash to last me the coming 2 weeks plus.

Daimaru

Mitsukoshi

The shopping malls such as Daimaru and Mitsukoshi in Tenjin are really big. Comparing to Singapore, the shopping malls had a different feel. Maybe it's because of the decor inside. Feels very high class to me and their things are really expensive! :| I wandered around, wanted to wait for the yadai to start opening. Yadai are food stalls which only opened at night (like food stalls in Pasar Malam) and some of these stalls are recommended by travel guides too! But I waited till I was too hungry. In the end, I went back to Hakata Station and ate curry udon there. *Oishii*

I went back to the hotel quite early. It had been a tiring day as I did not have enough sleep and was tortured by the cramps. I enjoyed walking alone and going to the different places with the help of friendly people in Fukuoka. Next time I want to come back again to visit those places which I missed out. Marinoa city, Hawkstown, Kawabata etc.

5 oct 07 - Fukuoka (part III)

Outside Tochoji

Tochoji

This is one of the famous temple, Tochoji. This temple holds the wooden statue of Kannon, God of Mercy with 1000 hands as well as the largest wooden statue of Buddha. Unfortunately, I did not get to see the Buddha. I like the picture that I took outside Tochoji though. The one with colourful lanterns!

Kushida Shrine

Kushida Shrine was built during the Heian Period. This was the first shrine I visited. It was a sunny weekday with little visitors. I like the feel of walking into the shrine. So peaceful. I was so excited to do the traditional visiting procedures! First, wash your hands at the side where water is provided. But I have not figured out which hand to use first. Then when I wanted to make a little prayer, I observed how people do it. However, I realised that not everyone does it the same way? They seemed to do it differently. So that's how I decided to do it. Don't know whether this is correct though.

1. Throw a coin into the box
2. Pull the rope and shake the bell (if any)
3. Clap your hands twice
4. Close your eyes and say your wish
5. Bow sincerely

After visiting three places, I went back to check in and rest. My da yi ma had been giving me such a hard time that I lost my mood to continue my tour. :s Passed by Family Mart (I absolutely love Japan's convenience stores!) and gotten myself some sushi and a drink. I even took an afternoon nap. Having regained more energy to walk, I decided to go Fukuoka Tower. Well, it's strongly recommended by Peiwen! I took a bus from Hakata Kotsu Centre and the ride took about 20 minutes.

Fukuoka Tower

Fukuoka tower is BEAUTIFUL. It's one of my favourite building in Japan. =) When I alight from the bus stop, I got lost again. I was inside one of the TV station building so I approached the receptionist and found out that Fukuoka Tower is right next to it. It was a windy day. Much more windy than Singapore. So windy that I felt like I can't walk properly. I was quite worried because I saw the trees shaking violently. At last, I entered the tower. By the way, it's good to alert and pick up tourist brochures. I did that in Fukuoka Airport and got myself a discount coupon for this Fukuoka Tower entrance fee. Small discounts make big difference~! I was served very politely by this lift lady. Inside the lift was a Japanese man with his wife and daughter. We went up the tower together. The lift lady was giving an introduction of Fukuoka Tower. Yes, it is in Japanese. :s

Views from Fukuoka Tower

At the top of the Fukuoka Tower, you can walk one round to get a 360 degree full view of Fukuoka and its bay. I love the sea view! From the pictures, you can see the man-made breakwater constructed to prevent the waves from eroding the beaches. As you can see, Fukuoka has many buildings constructed tall and clustered together. City-like compared to the places I went in Miyazaki.

5 oct 07 - Fukuoka (part II)

Hakata Green Hotel

This was the hotel that i stayed for one night in Fukuoka. It was not expensive (~SGD70) and I like the room even though it was small. Very well equipped with LCD tv, fridge, a small hotplate to boil water! I know a lot of people have the impression that accomodation in Japan is expensive. But if you don't mind staying at small hotels, or even pensions and hostels, you can get cheap deals! =)

Hakata Kotsu Centre

Hakata Kotsu Centre is like the bus interchange in Singapore. I am very amazed that the buses actually drive into the building. On the first level are buses that travel around Fukuoka. Second level and third level are alighting and boarding points for highway buses respectively. Highway buses are alternatives to domestic airlines and trains if you want to travel around different places. For me, I took a highway bus (~4 hours) from Miyazaki to Fukuoka and on the same day, board another highway bus (~10 hours) from Fukuoka to Kyoto. From here, I can take 100 yen buses and other normal buses to go around Fukuoka!

Furusato-kan

I could not find this furusato-kan when i alighted from the bus stop! Attempted to walk around following the map. But it was terrible. Where is it?! When i was standing there at the traffic light helplessly, a man with blond-dyed hair and a half lighted cigarette came over to ask if I was lost. He offered to look at the map but wasn't sure of the directions too. He kept saying "chotto matte" to me and at the same time trying to figure out where we are on the map. After some time, he finally knew where we were and offered to walk me to furusato-kan. *happy*

This furusato-kan is a small musuem that introduces Fukuoka and Hakata history. You can learn about their culture, language etc. They also display items that were used during olden days. (There's some English introductions as well!) It was interesting to walk around this little museum. =) Next to the museum, is a small shop selling souvenirs and toys from olden days. Even if you don't want to buy, it's great to take a look.

Weaving Machine

Weaving was something really interesting that I get to try in Fukuoka! In between the furusato-kan and souvenir shop, there was this little house that showed the history of cloth-weaving in Fukuoka. I was walking inside the house taking photos of weaving machine and the finished product, when an ojisan approached me wanting to explain the history of weaving. But but but, he was speaking in Japanese! I tried my best to understand what he's speaking and probably understood only 40%. ”わかりましたか？簡単で説明しますね。” (Did you understand? I will do a simple explanation.) Looking at the question marks on my head, he decided to let me try out weaving instead. I sat in the machine above, with ojisan standing next to me to guide me. He would smack my hands if i never place my hands properly. :s I managed to do quite a few lines of strings. Weaving is not easy at all. It requires good hand and leg coordination because after you step on the peddle, your hands need to be ready to switch the ball of string. It's fun!