It's my first time to venture outside Tokyo and on a whim, I decided to book an RT ticket via Cebu Pacific. I got the airfare tickets for only P6K because seat sale! And I don't really know what to expect since I haven't been to Fukuoka yet, but I love the adventure of discovering places and getting lost. And it really happened, the getting lost part.
It was a smooth flight from Manila to Fukuoka and I was expecting to arrive at the dorm by 8:30PM latest. However, the airport was quite busy upon disembarking and with several other flights coming in, it took more than an hour for me to get through immigration. Luckily, I just brought a small luggage so I don't have to worry about it. Then I got 'stopped' by the customs officer because the cute doggie smelled something delicious from my bag. I was asked repeatedly if I brought in Jollibee, Purefoods hotdog, etc. They even showed me a picture of the banned food. Thankfully, I don't have any food with me BUT I did eat a Jollibee burger on the plane and the scent must've been on my bag. Whew!
After getting my Hayakaken card (which I wrongly asked as Icoca- gasp!), I took the airport bus to Hakata Station. Fukuoka Airport is undergoing renovation so there's really not much to see nor eat (aside from some vendos) so I decided to head straight to the dorm and find some food nearby. The dorm was also in Hakata area, a station away from the Hakata Station and about 7 mins walk.
Now here's the funny part and me getting lost. I took the wrong train line (Gion Station vs Kushida Shrine Station) and it took me forever to realize that. Maybe it's because I'm already tired from waking up early and then arriving at NAIA T3 around 7AM, so my sense of direction was not working properly. The train staff was kind enough to guide me to the nearest exit going to the dorm but I still haven't realized that I'm in the wrong train station. And it was freezing cold outside! This was early November and prior to my travel date, I was religiously checking the temperature and apparently, the temp decided to give me a 'fall' season welcome!
As for the getting lost part, I think it took me roughly an hour more before arriving at the dorm. Fukuoka is very different from Tokyo because by 8PM, most of the establishments are already closed and the streets were kinda deserted. But I did eventually arrive safely at the dorm and happy to report that there's a konbini (Lawson) just beside it. Yey!
You can read about my Fukuoka food guide here: TKGEats at Fukuoka, Japan.
Since I don't have an itinerary, I enjoyed my sleep and just went to Canal City Hakata Mall which is about 5 minutes away. Arriving on a weekday, the mall was not that crowded. It was a big mall with lots of Korean stuff and tourists. Haha, it was amusing to hear people talking in Korean instead of Japanese.
Quick trivia: Busan, South Korea is about 3 hours and 40 minutes away from Fukuoka via ferry and 1 hour by plane.
After my Canal City mall tour, I went back to the dorm for a quick siesta then went to Rakusuien, a private Japanese garden nearby then back to the mall again to window-shop again.
I went back to Rakusuien the following morning, after checking Sumiyoshi Temple which was just at the other end of the street. I love the temple and also discovered that you can watch sumo practice early in the morning. Btw, there's an ongoing Sumo Tournament happening in Fukuoka every November and tickets sells out fast. Lucky for me, there's a heya just beside the temple.
Before the day ends, I was back at Gion Station to visit Hakata Old Town area. It's like being transported back in time and walk the cobbled steps in Gionmachi. There are several temples and shrines at the Hakata Old Town and quite a big place and not beside each other. One needs to cross the street to be able to go to the next temple/shrine. And it was getting dark also so I decided to skip the other temples and explore Hakata Station instead. Nice decision though, retail therapy made me happy. Lol!
I got to watch my first sumo wrestling practice the next morning and it was amazing. I also got to see a Shinto wedding. Afterwards, I'm back to Canal City to eat a very late lunch and happy to report that the mall was bursting with people (it's Saturday) and I even got to watch a live performance by 'Matsuri,' a JPop group.
Woke up early the following morning to go to Fukuoka Castle Ruins. It was cloudy and there's a rain forecast also.
There's really not much to see at the Fukuoka Castle Ruins and since it's just the beginning of fall season, there's not much change 'colors' except for lots of fallen leaves. Another challenge was that there's not much tourist to take my photo! I wish I should've brought my tripod. But if you will walk further, you can also visit Ohori Park (which I didn't because it started to rain and I don't have an umbrella). But there's a small museum at Fukuoka Castle Ruins so I stayed there until the rain stopped then I was on the way to Tenjin district. This is similar to Tokyo's Ginza.
I enjoyed Tenjin but not much the crowd.
To sum it up, I love my 'adventures' during my first few days in Fukuoka and the following days till I fly back home were the best. Stay tuned for part 2!
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