Tuesday was gruelling and my knee aches to prove it. Damn Japanese train stations that don’t have escalators or elevators. Couldn’t sleep night before-dunno why as I can change my itinerary at any time. So arrived at train station really early- the Nozomi to Fukuoka is about 3 hours. Grabbed a coffee so I could online book my seat online. If you want a specific seat ie window seat, then online booking is the way to go when you don’t know window in Japanese. Hint E (window) seats are the best=only 2 on that side.
Warning: use offical SmartEX ap ONLY, the others are sponsored and add commission. A hefty commission.
Warning #2: leave enough time if you’re booking at station. Verification of credit card can take up to 10 minutes. Also it didn’t accept my debit card.
So basically I’m tell you my mistakes because I missed my train. At the barrier my QR code didn’t work, ladies fixed it. And my platform was steps only. Luckily I could catch the next train but without a reserved seats; the godspitied me and rewarded me with an empty E seat. Woo hoo. The 3 hour trip was fabulous - trains are always clean and have chargers at each seat; the Japanese are always quiet; and the toilets are clean.
Hakata Station is a biggie and took me a while to find my way to my underground/tub station to the hotel, Daiwa Roynet Hakata-Reisen. It’s my most expensive hotel so far. And took me several attempts but I managed to get this $400 pnight hotel for $150. Okay there is definitely a trick to booking hotels and I will post a full explanation in another blog.
I should’ve walked as the hotel is only 17 minutes away and doesn’t have steps like the subway. But in a new city you never know what the streets are like = Osaka shocking. Fukuoka is a much better planned city with wide streets that are beautifully paved and meticulously clean.
Dropped my bags and off to find a shaved ice place. I have always loved snow cones/slushy type drinks (?) in the summer.
Kakigori are summer specialities and can be quite expensive - but they are huge. The ones in this poster are about the size of a baby’s head. And about $15 - I got a small for $8.
I ordered coffee one (above) which was expensive $15 and delicious. I also managed to get it all down the front of my white linen top. Top is washed and restored back to white. I did not have with me, the facecloth I always carry—so had to mop up with those awful slippery napkins (à la Cole’s Cafeteria 1965). So perhaps not my greatest day.
 |
| Popular Restaurant offers them with ice cream |
I ordered coffee one (above) which was expensive $15 and delicious. I also managed to get it all down the front of my white linen top. Top is washed and restored back to white. I did not have with me, the facecloth I always carry—so had to mop up with those awful slippery napkins (à la Cole’s Cafeteria 1965). So perhaps not my greatest day.
Anyway at the hotel they had an ‘Amenities Bar’ - this is becoming increasingly common in Japan. You will see there are many items to choose from and I use grabbed what I thought looked good. And the products I used were fabulous. Can you guess what the items are?
Went to local konbi for an egg sandwich dinner and collected another handful of body/skin care product samples on way thru lobby. I had worked out what wasn’t a refreshing drink but a bath powder. Thank you google translate.
The bathroom had too many options - I don’t want a deep bath (most Japanese hotels’ baths are super deep) - nor do I want a waterfall shower cos I don’t wash my hair everyday and not a fan of water cascading down my head. I much prefer the frontal attack of an adjustable showerhead.
Wednesday. Second day I walked around as my knee was sore I didn’t want to over do it s
o stuck to the local neighbourhood - there’s a covered shopping street (much look up the name for that) where I huge festival palaquin (Mikoshi) was hidden between two shops. Fukuoka loves its festivals but then the whole of Japan does - it’s part of building a community focus. The food is always extraordinary and throw in energetic taiko drums and alcohol then you’ve a real celebration.
 |
| Mikoshi 2 storeys high |
o stuck to the local neighbourhood - there’s a covered shopping street (much look up the name for that) where I huge festival palaquin (Mikoshi) was hidden between two shops. Fukuoka loves its festivals but then the whole of Japan does - it’s part of building a community focus. The food is always extraordinary and throw in energetic taiko drums and alcohol then you’ve a real celebration.
Thursday. Was Museum day - kinda - each museum I visited was having something done to it so I will have to come back next week. So I when through the huge Canal City mall which is a 190s throw back mall. From the Gold Coast. It has several 4/5/6 levels and several 4/5 different coloured buildings that overlook a huge water pond/pool.
There is a water fountain ‘show’ on the hour - honestly it was the worst thing of its type I’ve ever seen. I was so embarrassed for … the water ? Canal City management? the crowds that filmed it? I had to walk away. On my way back to the hotel, I discovered that I have been walking the wrong way through this part of Fukuoka - I took about 20 mins to get to Canal City which was a 5 min walk the other way. Seriously Google Maps is both a blessing and a curse.
Friday - Hakozki Festival Day. Another instance of learning that Google Maps doesn’t always know best. Anyway, it was a fund couple of hours. I was surprised to find alcohol tents open at 11am but they weren’t much patronised. Actually most of the stalls were empty. I did manage to nab a shave ice for 400 yen (about $3.50) and it was huge. I also learned that most people add — wait for it — condensed milk to theirs. I shudder at the sweetness.
Food stalls: tacos, kebabs, souvlaki, dumplings, fairy floss, toffee apples, KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) and Korean Hot dogs, squid on a stick, mochi on a stick, basically anything you can eat and put on a stick - it’s about the only place you will see Japanese people eating while walking. Anyway after a couple of hours of temple visit, garden strolling and stall testing I had enough.
(I will post photos later because I can’t upload now)
Saturday. It is time for me to move hotels. The price at old one jumped to over $600 per night over the weekend. Again it took a lot of jiggery-pokery to find a room under $300 here. I mistakenly thought that places away from Tokyo would be cheaper.
I’ve chosen a much more modest (cheaper) one at the train station. I’m going to Nagasaki on Tuesday, so there’s method. The hotel prices at Nagasaki are even crazier - on place went from $60 to $565. There’s a big festival/ celebration this weekend so I’m going Tuesday. Planning and trying to guess how much time I want somewhere is a pain. I read about a wonderful thing to do somewhere I was a few days ago. Bloody annoying. But I have to accept that religious type festivals are all pretty much the same…even the food. While I don’t mind the occasional shire or Emile - after a while they lack meaning for me, I’m looking at the architecture or the gardens.
I’m sitting in a Starbucks looking a the passing parade while I touch-type.
One thing I’ve noticed is that the younger Asian men are much more hands on. It’s so unlike the` ‘single’ married women I see in Australia- the women who are pushing the baby buggy, carrying bags and herding the kids. I’ll post a photo of a man who is pushing the baby buggy and the luggage with baby stuff strapped across his body; the woman eats an ice cream… this is typical. I also see many more men on their own with children strapped to them. How did I this happen in a place where I thought women walked several steps behind and kept their eyes down…no more. I’m loving it. I’ll post pictures with apologies for the quality as Im grabbing people who are walking by. Oh and as far as I can tell these are NOT Chinese men.
It is drizzling so I’ve been taking my time here. But it’s time for me to move on. Check in time is nigh,
No comments:
Post a Comment