Fukuoka, Japan September 2024 £1 = ¥188
When traveling from place to place there's normally two main options: the quick and expensive way or the long way. Most often, the long way is inconvenient, uncomfortable and usually happens overnight - this was to be one of those times. The ferry crossing from Busan, South Korea to Hakata, Japan can be done in 3 hours and 40 minutes or (on the night ferry) it can take 11 hours and somehow cost half as much. Want to guess which option we went with? Within the night ferry there were different levels of comfort too: private western suites with beds, private Japanese style rooms with tatami mat flooring, bunk rooms with a max of four occupants or what we had: a 2nd class Japanese room that could hold 10 but luckily only held six.
We were the first in the room, securing ourselves a coveted spot away from the door; as our room mates slowly arrived we noticed something strange, we were all British. Maybe when the boat company organised rooms they put like with like and we were just lucky that not many Brits were on this particular boat, but we still found the arrangement slightly odd. When the ferry eventually cast off, two hours after we boarded and six since we were told to check in, Ben and I went out onto to the deck to catch the last glimpses of Busan as we sailed away.
I didn't sleep the best. My futon was thin and every time I rolled over if felt like my hips were digging into the floor underneath, but despite my tumultuous night I felt fairly refreshed in the morning. From all that i'd read, Hakata's port wouldn't be open till at least 8am, but at 7.30 a knock sounded on the door and one of the crew informed us it was time to disembark - I was more than ready to go at this point as our rooms lights had automatically come on 5.30 waking me up. I'd also read that getting through Japans passport control and customs was a pretty drawn out task but we seemed to fly through it no problem at all.
All that was left before we could begin to explore Japan was obtaining a sim-card. For the most part when we've entered a new country, there's tons of booths all calling out trying to get you to buy their particular sim... here there was just a vending machine. I missed the booths, it's not normally the best deal that's to be had, but they take your phone, do some magic and the sim works no problem - this was not that. I thought we were fairly tech-savvy but it sure took us a while to get things working. Eventually, after I asked a fellow traveler for some help we realised we'd managed to fat-thumb some codes that needed inputing and once we'd straightened those out we finally had internet and could google maps our way to the hotel.
As it was only 9am by the time we arrived at our chosen hotel (Lyf Tenjin Fukuoka) our chances of checking in were minimal. Fortunately, they offered luggage storage, so we rid ourselves of our heaviest bags and hit the streets. Our first priority was finding food. Aware that breakfast restaurants are scarce in Japan, we opted to search for a konbini, a Japanese-style convenience store that sometimes comes with seating. Although we're normally happy to eat on the go, it's considered rude in Japan and we wanted to avoid any bad tourist behaviour. After some searching, we discovered a suitable konbini in a mall under Tenjin-Minami station, where we stocked up on various onigiri (rice balls) with different fillings and flavours.
It was just a short metro ride from the station to Maizuru Park, a park that can be entered for free and features the remains of Fukuoka Palace, which was taken apart and relocated in 1871. Some of the structures, including an impressive gateway have since been returned, and although the keep itself is absent, it's towering stone foundation remains. While we enjoyed exploring the castle ruins and envisioning its former glory, we found the park itself somewhat lacking. Perhaps during a different season, when the flowers are in bloom or the leaves are changing colours, it would be more impressive, but during our visit, it was just okay.
As we only had one full day in Fukuoka before we moved on there was no time to waste, so we swiftly made our way to the nearby Ohori park. This park, with it's lake filled with lazily swimming turtles and flowerbeds of bright happy sunflowers was far more interesting. It also had a Japanese garden, so after we grabbed some refreshments, we paid our ¥250 entry fee and set out to soak up some tranquility.
We had visited Japanese gardens before, but to visit one while in Japan somehow made the experience feel richer, as if its history was emanating from the ground itself. Despite not being the largest in size, the garden was meticulously designed, with an artificial lake filled with colourful koi fish, surrounded by evergreen oak, maple, and pine trees providing much needed shady spots to rest. Keeping with Japanese tradition, there were carefully pruned and shaped niwaki trees (Bonzai that have been planted in the ground) as well as boulders, stepping stones and of course, a quaint bridge. The garden was verdant, aromatic, and above all, incredibly serene.
Leaving the small garden, we completed our lap round Ohori park, following the path over the series of bridges that bisect the lake in two. We had fun spotting the small turtles who popped their heads out of the water, seemingly spying on whoever was passing by, alongside catching glimpses of large dark fish intent on foraging the lakes shallow bottom for food. We also, on this walk, made use of Japans ample vending machines to stay hydrated. I'm not exaggerating to say that i've since found vending machines on top of small mountains and tucked away in the middle of the woods, it's always useful to have a little cash on hand to make use of these conveniences when they randomly pop up.
Our first day in Japan couldn't just be flowers and tranquility, we had some admin to sort out too. Prior to arrival we'd researched some options, trying to work out the cheapest way to travel around and we'd discovered "JR West's" Setouchi Pass - A pass we believed would cover all of our travel including the Shinkansen (Bullet train) for 7 days costing a hefty £125 each. Totting up individual trains and rough daily use costs, we thought it would save us a little money so we purchased one online. Despite Japan being miles ahead (technologically speaking), they still love a physical tickets - so we had to head to the train station to pick this one up.
We thought about picking it up the following day while on our way to the same train station for our Shinkansen to Hiroshima. However, Japanese train stations are known for being difficult to navigate and crowded. Upon our arrival, the station was packed, and with people queueing everywhere we looked, it was unclear where we needed to go to pick up our specific pass. Eventually, we located the correct and thankfully smaller line, and after around twenty minutes, we obtained our passes and tickets for the next day.
The day was getting on, and although it might have made more sense to head back to the hotel for a little rest now check-in time had passed, we decided to keep on going, making our way to Tochoji Temple: Japan's oldest esoteric Buddhist temple. We weren't exactly meaning to visit this particular temple, we were aiming for Shofukuji Temple, Japans oldest Zen temple that just happened to be located behind this one. We weren't glued to the map while we were walking there, so when we saw a temple we just assumed it was the one and went in. It was a very nice temple and a volunteer that was floating about told us how they had the cremated remains of Buddha in the pagoda's dome just beneath the finial - not wanting to cause a scene, I didn't tell them about the box containing Buddha's toe that I had previously seen in Sri Lanka.
So we'd enjoyed some tranquility and we'd experienced some culture, all that was left was to sample some local cuisine and what better than sushi. Sushi restaurants in Japan can be broken into three main categories: Kaiten sushi (conveyor belt sushi), Local sushi (prepared fresh to order) and Omakase (basically a chefs table experience). I had heard of Sushiro, a Kaiten sushi restaurant, well before I had planned my trip to Japan and I was more than excited to try it.
The sushi itself wasn't really the draw, but the manner of delivery. As conveyor belt sushi could sometimes be wasteful, Sushiro did away with roaming, ever-circling sushi and instead focused on made to order. Each table comes with it's own tablet which is needed to search through their vast menu. Once ordered, the items then zoom down the belt coming to stop at the table's private lane. It's quick, it's easy and the food was surprisingly delicious too. I really enjoyed this ordering process as we could add to it when ever we needed, and as we could only order four things at a time we also couldn't over order and waste food. What surprised us the most wasn't the food quality but the items on the menu itself; although there are places in Japan that take their sushi very seriously, this was not one of those places. Alongside the usual contenders of raw seafood, there was grilled fish, tempura, deepfried quails eggs and even a small burger. What's even better, it's super cheap too - we must have had at least 14 plates between us alongside a drink and the total was no more than £15.
More than a little full up we waddled our way to our hotel to check-in. Although our room was on the compact side it had everything we would need; a comfy double bed, ensuite complete with shower, tea and coffee making facilities, matching pyjamas and a cityscape view. It was only 4pm but we were exhausted, my fitful sleep the night before had finally overcome my excitement for being in Japan and it was time to decompress whilst watching the world go by.
And then we snuck out to eat a load more konbini food - don't judge.
Next up : Hiroshima
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