Spring Fever in Fukuoka, Japan

Dear Friends and Family,

We took the 4.5 hr speedy ferry ride from Busan, South Korea, to Fukuoka, Japan, hoping to see the first cherry blossoms of spring, and we’re not disappointed. The trees were just beginning to blossom. They gorgeously adorned the walkways of Ohori Park, where couples and families frolicked and picnicked under a warm spring sun. The flowers were in bloom and, unfortunately, so were Bruce’s allergies. Ohori Park was colorful, with lake boats, pagodas, bridges and families enjoying food in the fine weather, amid the blossoming trees. We took the subway five stops to get to the park and then walked back to get a feel for the city. We saw the Fukuoka castle ruins at Maizuru Park, and got a bit lost between the mix of modern tall buildings and smaller, traditional buildings in the Tenjin neighborhood. It was getting dark by the time we crossed the Naka River on the outskirts of our neighborhood, Hakata. We passed a row of Yatai, open air food stands, along the river, under a long line of cherry blossoms. We ate some great soba (buckwheat noodle) and tempura when we stopped for a break in our long walk back to our Toyoko Inn hotel near the busy Hakata railway station.

We found more spring flowers at Canal City, a 250 store complex with the Grand Hyatt hotel adjacent to it. A canal cuts through the complex. When it’s water show time in the evening, the curtains come down at the Hyatt to form a screen on which attacks of Godzilla and aliens are simulated, set to lights and music. The audience cheers and claps and uses their smart phones to encourage victory over the bad guys. Canal City is interactive in other ways too. The toys stores have play areas set up for kids. There are overhead walkways connecting different sections of the complex, circular staircases, and fountains here and there. We found a Baskin-Robbins selling green-tea (matcha) ice cream.😁 There were stores with Kimono rental, similar to tuxedo rental stores in the US. We had fun exploring Canal City, which covers about four square blocks.

We bought train passes for the super high-speed bullet train, the Shinkansen, which reaches a speed of 320 km/ hr, (199 mph)! We’ll be using the bullet train at least four times over the duration of our trip. We’re making the most of each day of our last week. Hope that you are making the most of each day as well!

Love n hugs, BnL

Author: bnlmos

We are a retired couple, together nearly 35 years, who love International travel. Having a "blog" is brand new to us, so have patience as we do our best to keep in touch with our friends and family. Please feel free to comment on this blog or contact us via personal email. brucemos@hotmail.com View all posts by bnlmos