Day 13: Fukuoka
Today, we wanted to sample some evening street food, so we set out a little later and walked over to the Canal City shopping mall, which turned out to be another multi-floored collection of empty shops selling hi-so brands. It did have a fancy fountain that would come on for a little show every hour, however.
From the mall, we walked along the chilly tidal Naka River that splits the city, crossed one of the many bridges, and wandered into a small flower show before entering Tenjin Central Park, where locals were enjoying the Sakura. The annual cherry blossom bloom only lasts a couple of weeks and is a major event in Japan, symbolizing the beginning of spring, when families come together for picnics in local parks.
After a quick beer from the Lawson, we headed back to the mall to warm up for a bit and found ourselves on the gaming floor. This was full of pachinko (slot machine) places and huge shops selling all manner of dolls, mascots, models, figures, collectibles, and what I would consider toys. However, nearly all of the shoppers were not kids, but adults. This industry is big business in Japan, and most under-30s carried some kind of effigy or mascot with them, and some of the figurines fetched big prices.
As soon as darkness fell, it was time to venture out to the Nakasu street food stalls, a collection of tiny makeshift restaurants on the riverfront that pop up at night. Being very touristy meant high prices for a bowl of ramen and a beer, but we had to give it a go, so squeezed into one next to what mostly appeared to be locals for a feed.
It was getting later and colder, so we wandered back to the nearest subway station after a long day on our feet and a quick visit to Sunny once we were back at the hotel.
Day 14: Fukuoka
Our final day in Fukuoka would be a sightseeing one, and the first destination was the Fukuoka Tower, the city’s tallest building at 234 meters, offering 360-degree views across the sprawling metropolis.
Fortunately, the weather had cleared up for our final day, and the skies were blue, but temperatures were still pretty cold at below ten celsius. We wandered around Momochi Seaside Park, had a bite for breakfast, and walked back to the subway station for a two-stop ride to Maizuru Park, the place on the island to see Sakura.
Since the trees in Fukuoka were at peak bloom (80% or more of the flowers open), the entire city appeared to have taken the day off and descended on this park today. The atmosphere was carnival-like, with food and beer stalls and street entertainers performing in the park amid the blossoming cherry trees.
Also in the park were Fukuoka Castle ruins, which were a focus of attention being surrounded by Sakura and throngs of people snapping selfies amid the white and pink blooms. The blue skies made a big difference today!
Once we’d had our cherry blossom fill, we jumped back on the subway and headed to a Don Quijote store for some final shopping. Luke, who is training to be a chef, asked about knives – specifically a Santoku and Yanagiba – which are (no surprise) very expensive in Thailand. So, I found a local store and managed to explain what I wanted with a few photos and a translation app. While the knives were being sharpened and prepared, we found a 24-hour ramen place, which meant no queuing for food!
Utterly beat after covering 14 kilometers on foot, we headed back to the APA to pack and crack a few cold ones for our last night in Japan. It seemed a long time ago now that we were freezing our asses off in a snow-covered van at a road station near Beppu!
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