Fukuoka (Day 38): Change of Plans

April 7, 2016

We didn’t fall asleep until around 2am last night so this morning we woke up around 10:30am. We still planned on going to Nagasaki, despite sleeping in, but were going to catch a later train. After getting everything together, we left the hotel for Tenjin Station to catch the subway to Hakata Station (where the Japan Rail Station is).

Before our trip, we bought a 14 day Japan Rail Pass (JR pass) from the JTB office in the basement of Hotel Vancouver for $558 CAD each. The JR pass is offered to foreigners traveling into Japan, where you can pay a set price for unlimited train rides. The pass is offered at a significant discount and must be bought before coming to Japan. You have to show your passport to prove that you are visiting Japan as a temporary visitor and not on any work visa.

When got to the JR office at Hakata Station, there was a long line up for the JR pass. There were probably over 50 people ahead of us and we only had about an hour until the 12:55pm train we were planning on taking to Nagasaki departed. The line up didn’t seem to move at all for the first 15 minutes, but then they started opening more wickets and the line up moved a bit faster. We had to bring the papers we got from the JTB office in Vancouver as well as our passport to redeem our JR pass. The lady checked our passports to see that the sticker (Japan doesn’t stamp passports) said temporary visitor. At this point, we could also reserve seats for trains that we knew we were going to take in the next few days.

At the Hakata JR office. On a side note, there's a lot of Seattle's Best and Tully's Coffee in Fukuoka
At the Hakata JR office. On a side note, there’s a lot of Seattle’s Best and Tully’s Coffee in Fukuoka
We're next in line. The ladies working here look so tired having to deal with foreigners trying to figure out their rail system.
We’re next in line. The ladies working here look so tired having to deal with foreigners trying to figure out their rail system. Considering Japan is so high tech and efficient for most things, they could easily make the JR pass system a lot more efficient and less annoying for everyone.

After the lady processed our JR pass, she told us that the train we were hoping to catch to Nagasaki was cancelled due to severe rain. The forecast for today was rain but we didn’t realize how heavy it started to rain because we had been indoors most of the morning. She said the next train would be 1:55pm, which didn’t really work out for us because the main point of going to Nagasaki was to visit the Atomic Bomb Museum and it closed at 5pm. We decided to change our plans and stay in Fukuoka since the weather was bad. Now we know that the JR pass line ups can get really busy, so we should make sure if we need to reserve any tickets from now on we should make arrangements the day before if possible.

Although it would have been nice to see Nagasaki, I was also glad we could just stay in Fukuoka and take it easy. I was behind on blog posts and we needed to do a bit more Japan planning and research on things (plus I’ve been a bit tired trying to fight off a cold). I think one of the biggest things that I have to get over is that we won’t be able to see everything, eat all the “must eats”, or buy all the things I would have bought on a normal trip. I’m used to short trips and I know if we travel the way I would on a two week trip, we’ll burn out quickly and I could already feel it a bit.

So I suppose the train getting cancelled is a blessing in disguise. We headed to the other famous Fukuoka ramen place called, Ichiran, for lunch. There is a location attached to the Hakata train station, which was perfect. When you get there, you have to use a machine to pay for your order and it prints out a ticket. Once you’re seated you give the waitress your ticket and your food comes. It was a neat yet very anti-social process and eating experience (Tim: the ticket machines are pretty common throughout Japan).

Ichiran at Hakata Station
Ichiran at Hakata Station
Machines to order and pay
Machines to order and pay
You fill out your preference for your ramen and give it to the waitress when you're seated
You fill out your preference for your ramen and give it to the waitress when you’re seated
This is my cubby. You see how it's anti-social eating? You can't even see the waitress' face
This is my cubby. You see how it’s anti-social eating? You can’t even see the waitress’ face and you have your own water faucet.

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My ramen with a soft boiled egg. This was 910 JPY = $11 CAD
My ramen with a soft boiled egg. This was 910 JPY = $11 CAD
Tim drinking both our bowls again
Tim drinking both our bowls again. Look at the ramen sweats

And the winner between Ichiran and Ippudo is (in our opinion) Ippudo! Ichiran is very good too but their meat was the weakest link, it wasn’t that tender and it was sliced very thin. Ichiran is also just over 100 JPY more expensive and they charge for kikurage mushrooms that are already included in Ippudo’s bowl. Although the Ichiran experience is novel, I enjoyed my bowl of Ippudo ramen more.

After we finished eating, we went outside and it was raining very hard. We decided to go back into the station mall and buy an umbrella. Japanese people all carry clear umbrellas here, so we thought we’d join in. We found a store that was relatively cheap in the basement and sold an umbrella for 410 JPY = $5 CAD (Tim: More expensive than what I remember umbrellas going for the last time I was in Japan in 2009). Despite having waterproof rain jackets, this type of rain needed an umbrella and I also had my laptop in my backpack today (I was planning on writing while on the train).

We decided to have a leisurely walk back to our hotel from the train station, but first stopping by Hakata’s Canal City Mall. Since it was pouring, the best place to be is inside a mall. The Canal City Mall is the mid-way point between Hakata and Tenjin Station (where our hotel is). Once we arrived, I was excited to browse around at Uniqlo and Muji, stores that I’ve been in many times but never in Japan!

Us outside Hakata Station with our cool clear umbrella. Now we look like locals (not...)
Us outside Hakata Station with our cool clear umbrella. Now we look like locals (not…)

As expected, Uniqlo is about 20% cheaper than what it is in Taiwan and Muji is also slightly cheaper. While browsing through Uniqlo, there are a lot of things I would like to buy but I don’t have any room in my luggage. They’re clothes I would want to have when I get back to Vancouver, not necessarily clothes I need on this trip. I’ve made notes to myself that I would like to go back to Seoul and Japan just to shop in the future and I’ll bring an empty suitcase (Tim: because clothing is so different around the world it necessitates travelling across an ocean to get what you need…).

Canal City Hakata front entrance
Canal City Hakata front entrance
Canal City Mall Hakata - very neat mall with a canal built in the middle
Canal City Mall Hakata – very neat mall with a canal built in the middle
Taito Arcade - there are so many of these machines with toys and even food inside. There are a lot of people playing them and actually winning (Apparently it's a lot easier to win these games in Japan than in NA). Each play is 100 JPY
Taito Station Arcade – there are so many of these machines with toys and even food inside. There are a lot of people playing them and actually winning (Apparently it’s a lot easier to win these games in Japan than in NA). Each play is 100 JPY
Japan Disney! The home of Tsum Tsums
Japan Disney! The home of Tsum Tsums.
Tim thinks these sleepy stuffed animals with huge faces will be the next Tsum Tsum
Tim thinks these sleepy stuffed animals with huge faces will be the next big thing. They are pretty darn cute.
Muji - one of my favourite stores. So much neat things for your home...except we do not have a home at the moment!
Muji – one of my favourite stores. So many neat things for your home…except we do not have a home at the moment!
Tim taking a break at Muji
Tim taking a break at Muji
Cool displays throughout the store
Cool displays throughout the store
These white chocolate covered strawberries were displayed all over Muji, so Tim wanted to try them (it's the first time he actually said he wanted to try a snack). They were really good, we're tryin to ration them. (280 JPY = $3.40 CAD)
These white chocolate covered strawberries were displayed all over Muji, so Tim wanted to try them (it’s the first time he actually said he wanted to try a snack). They were really good, we’re tryin to ration them. (280 JPY = $3.40 CAD)

Every hour the canal in the mall has a water show. We caught half of one that was happening at 4pm. The water show was choreographed to”Be Our Guest” from The Beauty at the Beast. The show was better than the one we waited for in the cold in Seoul at the Danpo Bridge (Tim: I decided it was better within the first 5 seconds).

Taking a bite of the white chocolate strawberry while watching the water show
Taking a bite of the white chocolate strawberry (strawberry is freeze dried) while watching the water show (Tim: The subject of the photo is slightly (*ahem*) out of focus).

We headed back to Tenjin Station and figured we would have an early dinner and just go back to the hotel. It was such a wet day out that we thought once we got back inside we wouldn’t want to go back out again.

Tenjin Station has a large underground mall that connects all the department stores to office buildings, City Hall and the subway station. We’ve been to a lot of underground malls in Seoul, but this one was a lot nicer. The stores were mainly Japanese clothing stores along with a lot of French bakeries. I noticed that a lot of Japanese stores are named in French, although some spelled incorrectly. (Tim: is “Flench” the equivalent to “Engrish”?)

Nice detailing on the ceiling
Nice detailing on the ceiling
Tenjin Underground Mall
Tenjin Underground Mall is so cute
Most of you know that I used to collect Starbucks mugs, but since we have no space (luggage or shelving space where ever we may live) I've stopped buying them. I'll just take pictures from now on.
Most of you know that I used to collect Starbucks mugs, but since we have no space (luggage or shelving space where ever we may live) I’ve stopped buying them. I’ll just take pictures from now on. (Tim: I’m going to take a screenshot of this caption for future reference)

After going through part of the mall, we left to go find something for dinner. It started to get very stuffy inside and I think the dim lights and being underground made me feel a bit uneasy. I find that in Korea and Japan, when it’s a bit colder outside (it wasn’t actually that cold today at 18 degrees) they blast the heat inside too much. So whenever we went inside a mall or department store, Tim and I would be sweating.

We went to one of the shopping plazas connected to the underground mall and found that on their basement level there were several restaurants that looked quite good. We picked one called, Kisuimaru. Tim ordered their chirashi don (Tim: they called it Kisui-don) and I had a dinner set.

My set: miso soup, assorted tempura, bowl of rice with a few pieces of sashimi and tofu. 1,200 JPY = $14 CAD
My set: miso soup, assorted tempura, bowl of rice with a few pieces of sashimi and tofu. 1,200 JPY = $14 CAD
Tim's Chirashi Don. 1,280 JPY = $15.60 CAD
Tim’s Chirashi Don. 1,280 JPY = $15.60 CAD

At first we were hesitant because it wasn’t that busy (but I guess it was only 5:15pm after all), but the food was good. When we were finishing up, more people (what seemed like locals) started to come in. I feel like we won’t have any horrible dining experiences in Japan (*knock on wood*).

We came back to the hotel after dinner and caught up on our blogging and did some more research on the town we’ll be going to tomorrow, Beppu (the onsen capital of Japan). Our wedding videographer, Henry, just went to Japan for a bit and told us the whole town is steaming, sounds pretty cool to me!

Our train tomorrow is at 9:21am, so we’ll get a good night sleep tonight!

Steps today: 14,600

Fukuoka (Day 37): Japanese Baseball (Go Hawks!)

April 6, 2016

Today was our first full day in Fukuoka and we were ready to explore the city. The weather was overcast and about 18 degrees celsius, which was perfect weather for walking around. After having ramen last night, the next thing we wanted to have was obviously sushi. One of the first restaurants (highly rated on Trip Advisor) to come up when I Google searched was “Chikae Fukuoka Shop”. Our plan for today was to go there for lunch and walk around the city – a pretty low key day.

Chikae Fukuoka Shop was about an 8 minute walk from our hotel. When we arrived at around 12:30pm, there was a long line up outside. The line was a mixed bag of businessmen in black suits, older Japanese ladies and a few tourists (we seemed like the only North American tourists – most were Korean or from Hong Kong). The line up went fairly quickly and we were in the restaurant in less than 15 minutes. The restaurant is quite large with fish tanks in the middle of the restaurant with counter seating around it as well as tables around the counters. We were lucky to get a seat at the counter so we had a good view of all the fish in the tanks.

Line outside Chikae. See if you spot Tim in the middle of the line!
Line outside Chikae. See if you spot Tim in the middle of the line!
Restaurant entrance
Chikae Fukuoka Shop entrance
Squid swimming in the tanks
Squid swimming in the tanks
There were probably about 30 fish tanks in the middle, including a lower tank filled with eel (unagi)
There were probably about 30 fish tanks in the middle, including a lower tank filled with eel (unagi)

At lunch, there were only two lunch sets on the menu, each for 1,400 JPY ($16.90 CAD) – we got one of each. While we ate, we noticed that some locals would order sashimi and the sushi chef would come out of the kitchen, grab the fish out of the tank and chop it up behind the counter and serve it. There are no prices for these fish that we could see, so we just stuck to the lunch sets.

Tim's sashimi lunch set : oden type dish, agedashi tofu, sashimi plate (6 pieces), steamed egg custard, tempura, crab miso soup and a bowl of rice. (1,400 JPY = $16.90 CAD)
Tim’s sashimi lunch set : boiled vegetables/fish cake (was a bit sweet), agedashi tofu, sashimi plate (7 pieces), steamed egg custard, tempura, crab miso soup and a bowl of rice. (1,400 JPY = $16.90 CAD)
My soba lunch set: steamed egg custard, tempura, zaru soba, agedashi tofu, rice with stewed pork, and a soup with sliced pork (1,400 JPY = $16.90 CAD)
My soba lunch set: steamed egg custard, tempura, zaru soba, agedashi tofu, rice with stewed pork, and a soup with sliced pork (1,400 JPY = $16.90 CAD)
Fukuoka is famous for their spicy cod roe (Karashi Mentai). You see this in a lot of restaurant in tube form. You are supposed to squeeze it and put it in your rice - pretty delicious!
Fukuoka is famous for their spicy cod roe (Karashi Mentai). You see this in a lot of restaurants in tube form. You are supposed to squeeze it and put it in your rice – pretty delicious!

After we finished lunch around 1:30pm, there was no longer a line up outside the restaurant, good to know if we ever come back in the future. We started to walk towards Maizuru Park, where the Fukuoka Castle ruins are. During the Edo Period (1603-1867), the Fukuoka Castle used to be the largest castle in Kyushu. It was subsequently torn down during the Meiji Restoration as it symbolized Japan’s feudal past. Today, it’s a park in the middle of the city with some view points and surrounded with cherry blossom trees. Since Fukuoka is in southern Japan, the cherry blossoms have already bloomed here and are now starting to fall and tree are sprouting green leaves. The views of the city were nice, as we looked to the left, we could see the Ohori Park lake, Fukuoka Tower and Fukuoka Dome – where we were heading later in the afternoon.

There were a lot of people having picnics in each area where there were cherry blossoms around Fukuoka
There were a lot of people having picnics in each area where there were cherry blossoms around Fukuoka
Fukuoka Castle ruins
Walking to the view point
Tim looking towards the Fukuoka Dome area
Tim looking towards the Fukuoka Dome area
Fukuoka Castle ruins
Fukuoka Castle

As we made our way towards Ohori Park, we passed by the Gokoku Shrine and took some pictures. The area was very quiet and peaceful. I really enjoyed having so many trees surrounding us during our walk – it felt really good to breathe in some fresher air.

No one around so we took a selfie the Japanese way

Shrine blessings
Shrine blessings
Tim washing his hands with fresh water
Tim washing his hands with the fresh water

Ohori Park was our main destination on our walk, it is Fukuoka’s main park in the centre of the city with a large pond and many small bridges. We sat down on a park bench facing the pond for a bit just to sit and relax. We noticed as we walked around the pond that many people were by themselves and looked like they were doing some self-reflection as well.

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Ohori Park pond
Ohori Park pond
No fishing allowed. There are a lot of huge black poi in the pond as well as turtles
No fishing allowed. There are a lot of huge black koi in the pond as well as turtles

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The pavilion is what you see when you google Ohori Park. (It's not very well maintained)
The pavilion is what you see when you google Ohori Park. (It’s not very well maintained)

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This island in the pond was full of brown feathered hawks. We were sitting on a bench watching them and all of a sudden one of them flew towards a crow that was by us and they were chasing each other in the air for a while. It was like live National Geographic!
This island in the pond was full of brown feathered hawks. We were sitting on a bench watching them and all of a sudden one of them flew towards a crow that was by us and they were chasing each other in the air for a while. It was like live National Geographic!

After our relaxing stroll around Ohori Park, we made our way to the Fukuoka Dome and Umi no nakamichi Sea Side Park. This walk took about 20 minutes through the city – passing by more canals.

When we got close to the Fukuoka Dome around 4:00pm, we noticed there were a lot of locals heading towards it. The Fukuoka Dome is home to the city’s baseball team, the SoftBank Hawks. We were excited because I had tried to look up a game schedule but their English website only showed their 2015 schedule so we thought we missed out. As baseball is Japan’s most popular sport, we were hoping to catch a game at some point. Once we made it to the top of the stairs, it definitely looked like game day! I read that the Hawks are one of the best teams in the league as they have won the league championship multiple times and are currently the reigning Nippon Professional Baseball League champs (two years running).

Infront of the Fukuoka Dome
Infront of the Fukuoka Dome
This was a bouncy castle
This was a bouncy castle. (Tim: Kaitlyn was too tall to go in)

We went to the ticket counter and asked for the section in the outfield with the second cheapest seats – 1,000 JPY = $12 CAD. The most expensive tickets we saw on the price list were 60,000 JPY = $72 CAD. The lady at the ticketcounter told us “this section is very excited”, which meant to us that it was likely the team’s supporter section which sounded perfect to us!

Tim buying our game day tickets
Tim buying our game day tickets
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks vs. Chiba Lotte Marines
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks vs. Chiba Lotte Marines. I realize I took a picture of the receipt on the bottom…the top one is the ticket

We found out the game didn’t start until 6:00pm, but there were already so many people lined up at 4pm to get into the dome as the doors opened at 4:30pm. We decided to walk to Momochi Seaside Park (as planned) that was beside the stadium and come back a bit before the game started to grab food and walk around the concourse.

Momochi Seaside Park was nice to walk around on the “sea wall”. It seemed like this place would be a lot busier during the summer as there were a lot of businesses and shacks that weren’t open. The beach itself had a surprising number of teenagers just hanging out with their shoes off.

Shacks closed for the season
Shacks closed for the season
Momochi Seaside Park
Momochi Seaside Park
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Beach walkway with Fukuoka Tower in the background
Two dudes chilling on a rock. Basically sums up what Fukuoka is like.
Two dudes chilling on a rock. Basically sums up what Fukuoka is like.
The Hilton beside the Fukuoka Dome is called "Hilton Sea Hawk", so naturally the man hole covers around the area have to support their team too
The Hilton beside the Fukuoka Dome is called “Hilton Sea Hawk”, so naturally the man hole covers around the area have to support their team too

We made our way back to the stadium around 5pm and headed in. It turns out you can bring your own food in – which is why so many people had big backpacks and why Family Mart (a convenience store) inside the Hilton was crazy busy. We could’ve brought in our own food but at the same time we wanted to try “Japanese stadium food”. They had MOS Burger, bentos, takoyaki, ramen, and other American stadium food. The prices were typical of a stadium – about 30-40% more than what it would be outside.

We got to our seats and they were better than I expected for 1,000 JPY. We were right beside the main supporter section so every time the Hawks were up at bat, everyone would be standing but when the other team was batting, you could sit down. We got to our seats well before the game started and there were a lot of people already seated and enjoying the pre-game entertainment. The game was a lot of fun mostly due to the songs and chants they had for each player (my favourite was for Yuichi Honda). They would say a bunch of stuff in Japanese and then say the player’s last name repeatedly until they were done. This taught us (or just me) how to pronounce some of their last names properly. It was a lot of fun and it was probably the best $12 CAD we spent this whole trip.

View from our seats. Our area was definitely the most fun!
View from our seats. Our area was definitely the most fun!
When Honda was at bat, it was my favourite chant/song
When Honda was at bat, it was my favourite chant/song
Bases were loaded, but they weren't able to convert...
Bases were loaded, but they weren’t able to convert…
Tim made friends with the boy infront of him. Every time the Hawks scored, he would turn around and high five everyone (except me)
Tim made friends with the boy infront of him. Every time the Hawks scored, he would turn around and high five everyone (except me). He knew all the songs and was very into the game.
We ordered a takoyaki combo with beer for 1,250 JPY = $15 CAD
We ordered a takoyaki combo with beer for 1,250 JPY = $15 CAD.
This Mom and baby were there until the end. The baby fell asleep even while the Mom was singing and cheering... her neck was not stable
This Mom and baby were there until the end. The baby fell asleep even while the Mom was singing and cheering… her neck was not stable (Tim: hard to be stable when your strapped to a lady jumping and swinging her arms around… can’t let a baby hold you back!)
Our MOS burger combo for 790 JPY = $9.50 CAD
Our MOS burger combo for 790 JPY = $9.50 CAD
Hawk's Program. I like how the coach is front and centre
Hawk’s Program. I like how the coach is front and centre
Right before the 7th inning was over, everyone had blown up their yellow balloons
Right before the 7th inning was over, everyone had blown up their yellow balloons
The release
This was pretty awesome! Tim took a video
Melon soda with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They have this at Guu Garden in Vancouver too! (450 JPY = $5.40 CAD)
Melon soda with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They have this at Guu Garden in Vancouver too! (450 JPY = $5.40 CAD)

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Unfortunately the Hawks lost to the Chiba Lotte Marines 4-3, which is too bad because the Hawks pretty much dominated the game in terms of hits but they weren’t able to convert (they had the bases loaded three times). The Marines, on the other hand, hardly had any hits but got 3 home runs.

What I enjoyed the most wasn’t the baseball game but watching everyone around us having fun while supporting their home team. There wasn’t a “type” of Hawks fun, it was basically everyone (it seemed like everyone in Fukuoka was there) – young and old, men and women, from all walks of life and age (babies to people who look like they’re in their 80s). I find that at most live sporting events in North America, it’s mostly dominated by groups of men and you rarely see large groups of girls or women without any guys, but at this game there were a lot of groups of just women (and they didn’t look like “puck bunny” types).

I’m really happy we “stumbled” upon this game and we were lucky enough to have experienced a Japanese baseball game with some really die hard fans. If only Canucks games were as fun!

After the game was over, we walked back from the stadium to our hotel in about 30 minutes. We didn’t want to bother with going 3 stops on the subway since it was so busy – must have been close to 30,000 people in the stadium all trying to get home. On our way back, we stopped by Lawson’s (Japanese convenience store) to pick up some onigiris to eat as we weren’t that full from the food at the game.

The pretty things you see when you walk
The pretty things you see when you walk. All the cherry blossom around the castle ruins were lit up.
Our two onigiris and Coke from Lawson's (349 JPY = $4.20 CAD)
Our two onigiris and Coke from Lawson’s (349 JPY = $4.20 CAD) (Tim: Happy to report Japanese Coke is delicious too! )

We stayed up really late (until 2am) and decided to just play tomorrow by ear since our plan to go to Nagasaki early didn’t look like it was going to happen.

Steps today: 30,000