The Japanese love to travel around their own country in search of delicious food and I soon came to see why - there is an abundance of it! While this was certainly not the sole motive for my Fukuoka trip, it was an interesting element of it! By the way, Fukuoka is located on Kyushu Island in Japan. I tried several bowls of the local specialty, Hakata Ramen and was certainly not disappointed! Many people eat the ramen and other food in small sit-down stalls that seat up to 8 people; they are setup around 5:00pm and stay open all night. These "yatais" as they are called, are the source of a lot of socialization that occurs.
I visited Dazaifu, which was about an hour's worth of train rides and transfers from the central station of Hakata in Fukuoka. I really enjoyed the Zen Buddhist temple Komyozenji, along with the infamous Tenmangu shrine! Both proved to be unique and beautiful in their own ways. I enjoyed sitting peacefully and observing nature, especially in the rock garden in the back of Komyozenji. The rocks in the front garden are said to be laid out in such a fashion as to create the image of the Japanese kanji for the word "light." Below is a picture of the rock garden in the back of the temple:
I also visited Canal City, a relatively new and innovative shopping center with, as the name might suggest, an actual canal running through it! It's a mega-shopping complex spread over a few buildings which boasts a ramen stadium, an extreme game center, a plethora of shopping opportunities and much much more! However, even on a national holiday there were a lot less people there than I would have expected. Fukuoka was a fabulous and far less crowded experience than Tokyo!
I visited Dazaifu, which was about an hour's worth of train rides and transfers from the central station of Hakata in Fukuoka. I really enjoyed the Zen Buddhist temple Komyozenji, along with the infamous Tenmangu shrine! Both proved to be unique and beautiful in their own ways. I enjoyed sitting peacefully and observing nature, especially in the rock garden in the back of Komyozenji. The rocks in the front garden are said to be laid out in such a fashion as to create the image of the Japanese kanji for the word "light." Below is a picture of the rock garden in the back of the temple:
I also visited Canal City, a relatively new and innovative shopping center with, as the name might suggest, an actual canal running through it! It's a mega-shopping complex spread over a few buildings which boasts a ramen stadium, an extreme game center, a plethora of shopping opportunities and much much more! However, even on a national holiday there were a lot less people there than I would have expected. Fukuoka was a fabulous and far less crowded experience than Tokyo!
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