1 post tagged “fukuoka”
I seem to be backtracking in my ability to get out timely posts about our trips and our adventures here in the Land of the Rising Sun, so on this long Labor Day Weekend, my goal is to relate our latest little excursions for the masses (read: enjoy the pictures, cause I know that's what keeps most of you coming back).
Now, I've said before that Sasebo, while being 250,000 people strong, is actually considered a farming town; because of this, we lack a lot of the 'big city" resources--malls (or even multiple shopping arcades), a large selection of non-Japanese restraunts, and, most importantly to travelers, an airport. For those considering a visit, take note that the two nearest airports to my home are Fukuoka and Nagasaki, both equidistant really. Our friend, Kelly, was flying back to the States, and rather than deal with a train or wait for the Navy bus to come by, she asked us to pick her up at Fukuoka; thinking it a perfect time to explore more of the city we'd only really seen at two previous points (when we flew in and then when we went to the baseball game), the Hub and I readily agreed.
Knowing her flight came in late, we headed up after church, marveling at the signs along the way (most of which we couldn't read but enjoyed nonetheless)--every single town had its own small highway sign with a small, drawn picture depicting what they felt most important about their home. One had a traditional shrine gate, and another a temple doorway, but I was more surprised to see things like watermelons, strawberries, and rodents in other places! We would also see large, yellow flags warning us of the chance for rodents (or wild boars in SOME cases) potentially crossing the tollway. I kept trying to get a picture of one of those, as I nearly cracked up as much as I did the illegal immigrant sign in San Diego everytime I saw it, but alas, I failed.
Reaching Fukuoka, we parked at the airport's day lot and walked confidently into the subway, sure that if we could conquer Tokyo's lines, Fuk should be a snap. To our dismay, however, none of the signs were translated into English but were in full kanji, which we cannot read. Seeing our nervous faces, a friendly guard pointed out where we needed to stop once we explained where we hoped to go. Counting the stops from where we stopped til we disboarded, we made the transition, walked a few blocks, and came upon the Fukuoka Yahoo! Dome, which we'd visited earlier for the game. Snapping a quick shot of the giant Asahi can painted just outside, we wandered around the giant mall (easily remembered as Hawks Town) just next door where we languished for hours in the American-ness that was the Gap, Toys R Us, and, finally, Hard Rock Cafe.
Laugh all you want, folks; after enough time with only McDonalds, Mister Donuts, and KFC as your links to any American cuisine not of your own device, you'll run towards something familiar as well. :) Needless to say, I don't think I've ever tasted a Southwestern egg roll that was quite as divine, nor a pulled pork sandwich that I've enjoyed as much (not to say it was better than yours, Dad, but man--it's been a LONG time for some bbq).
Moving towards the train station again, we cruised over to the underground shopping area known as Tenjin (literally in meaning "underground'--the entire mall is underground), where I had to snap this picture of a movie playing at their local theater, just for you Harry Potter buffs back home. After that, we again rode to a stop that made the Hub break into a fit of very unmanly giggles: Eeny Meeny Miny Mo. Actually, it was another shopping area, but he couldn't get over the name and laughed everytime he saw it.
Opting to not run around in the mall, we strolled through the Kawabata Shopping Arcade, which wasn't as long as the one in Sasebo but definitely had different shops and lots of decorations for the passerby. At the end was, yet, another mall, Canal City (can you tell I have a shopping problem?), but I wanted to spend a bit of time near the Kushida Shrine, which, as you can see, was completely surrounded by the urban sprawl. Having been an extremely humid, sunny, and hot day, we were surprised to find that the wind picked up and large raindrops started coming down as we walked into the Shrine. Undeterred, I insisted upon visitng the actual Shrine to pay homeage, but was eventually pulled away by a superstitious Hub who believes that we might not be as welcome. He contends his astuteness at sensing these vibes with the knowledge that as soon as we exited through the entrance gate, the rain ceased, the wind slowed, and the sun came back out. I'll leave it to you to make your own determinations.
After that, we had just enough time to return to the airport, find Kelly, and then drive back home (where I promptly told the Hub to take the wrong tollway so we ended up several hours away and had to backtrack--oops); our goal is to spend a weekend in Fukuoka so we can explore the rest of the city which is one of the largest in Japan.
