08-01-05; Monday we went to Japan. It was an interesting trip, as it was the first time I took a boat to another country. Johnson, Chris and I all went there. While we were on the boat, Johnson found his friend. It is kind of ironic that he would find a friend on the boat, I know he always finds friends when we go out in Busan but this one was really strange.
Then we just got to Fukuoka and took a bus to our hotel. We ate curry at a local restaurant and then had a few beers. Japanese beer is so smooth, it goes down and it so refreshing. I have never had a beer like that.
Then a few beers at the hotel, and off to sleep.
08-02-05 Tuesday; Today we woke up kind of late and so we just ate instant noodles in the hotel. We missed breakfast, and I was looking forward to a western style breakfast for a while now. Maybe tomorrow we can eat that.
We first went to buy tickets for the game. That would be the most important thing for Chris and Johnson. They are very excited about going to a game here in Japan. I just want to go to the beach! Found the Korean embassy, it is right next to the baseball Dome. And it was pretty easy to get that finished. Tomorrow I can pick my visa up!
Then we went to a park in Fukuoka, Ohori Park. It was beautiful. And one thing I noticed is that Japan is a very clean country. There are only a few secluded places where you can see a little bit of garbage thrown around.
The fish that were in the water were about 4 times the size of the fish I have seen before. And they even had cleaning boats that would go around and clean up the water and take the garbage out. It was really amazing.
Then we walked some more and made our way to the Castle Ruins. But to be honest, there wasn’t a lot there. Maybe later on they will find more things to put in there, but as for right now they do not have a lot. I wouldn’t go back there.
After that, we walked around. We went to a nice shopping area where we found some traditional Japanese things. That took us a few hours!! And on the way back home, we found a temple in the middle of nowhere. So we decided to go there and see what it was. It was nice. The temples here are simple, but so nice.
And then we finally made it back to the hotel and ate at a ramien place. The second we walked in I was kind of nervous because there was this smell. But we decided to order and when the food came, I couldn’t even eat mine. Johnson and Chris’ were not that bad. Luckily we had dumplings, so I wasn’t starving.
After that, we went to a bar nearby. It was a small bar, but the food was really good. And once again the beer was so smooth. 3 beers, and 2 small side dishes cost around $30 US!! So expensive here.
Then back to the hotel and drank some more beers.
08-03-05, Wednesday; woke up in time for breakfast in the hotel: western style breakfast!!! Really delicious, and buffet style. I loved it. Then we went to the embassy to pick up my new visa. And the beach, which was right next to the embassy. The beach in Fukuoka doesn’t have as many people as the one in Busan, so I really enjoyed myself. We stayed for 4 hours and just relaxed. The water was clean, and the beach was not crowded. Then we bought a gift for Chance, my sweet dog… I miss her.
Next to the beach they had a lunch box place, and we ate there. It was really good and not so expensive. Then to the Fukuoka Tower where we got to see the entire city. It was just like the towers in Taiwan and Korea.
And then we went to see the Softbank Hawks play. The statium is actually a dome, my first time in a dome statium. The seats were really small, if my butt were an inch bigger it wouldn’t fit!! But the game itself was really exciting. This team is the number 1 team in their division. Not only did they play, they also had a group of cheerleaders, and some characters to entertain us. The Softbank Hawks won, and they had 3 homeruns. After the game they had a fancy post-game show, with fireworks as well. And then at the very end, the dome opened up. Now I know why the tickets were so expensive.
Then back to the hotel, ate dinner in the same restaurant as the first day… and had a few beers in the hotel. Another wonderful day.
08-04-05, Thursday; We ate breakfast in the hotel. Then we went to a Folk Museum, it was extremely small. But they had some things in there of interest. It was better than the castle ruins!! We walked around and saw traditional music being played, and an old artform of making cloth. Then we went to a temple next to this place. It is actually an ancestoral temple, but it is amazing how even the smallest temple here looks so beautiful and unique. It is totally different from the one we saw the other night.
Then we went to Canal City, which is a shopping area to eat lunch. There was another lunch box style place, and so it was inexpensive but really delicious. I will miss the food here! Then we decided that we had seen enough and went to the port to wait for our boat. We ate a snack there, which was really good and just hung out.
Right after we walked out of the store there, Johnson ran into another friend. It is amazing that even in Japan he finds his friends. The boat ride was ok and I think that Johnson wants to go back to Japan. I already told him I would like to visit another city in Japan and see what that is like. I already know that Fukuoka is a very beautiful place, but would like to see something new.
For Johnson it was his first time going to Japan, for Chris and I it was our second. Our first trip was to the country in Japan, in Toyama. And that was a totally different experience. It is like going from Honesdale (my hometown) to New York City!
More news later on…..
