Fukuoka

Fukuoka, or Hakata as it's sometimes referred to, is the third largest city in Japan and accordingly it has the wide range of shops, restaurants, bars etc. that you'd expect. You can get up to whatever you want here, so just stick to what you like.

That said, there is very little sight-seeing to be done in the city. The huge Dazaifu Shrine outside the city is a big attraction, and the canal city Yanagawa is very beautiful at any time other than winter (I went once before in spring) - think Venice in Japan. In Fukuoka itself, the immense shopping centre Canal City is a focal point. In and around this area you can wander and get a feel for the place.

One part of the top (5th) floor of Canal City, is a floor dedicated entirely to Ramen from around Japan. There are 15 or so shops each serving up a variety of Ramen from a certain part of Japan. Look at the pictures outside each shop to get an idea and just go for it. Ichiran is a famous modern-style Ramen place which does real Hakata style tonkotsu stuff, but with it's own unique sauce. They give you a paper with 10 or so ways to customise your food - noodle texture, soup intensity, amount of meat. You sit in little booths which are supposedly designed to make you concentrate on the food, thereby enhancing its flavour. It wasn't the best I had in Kyushu, an air of novelty about it (sleek, black design), but it was fun, and very kitch-Japanese. Ichiran. 736-5272. 24 hours.

Fukuoka Tower is kind of interesting, and there's even a mini beach next to it. There are many museums (modern art and folk) which we didn't make it to.

We went to a couple of out-of-the-way but pretty typical places for dinner. Not worth trekking across town for, if only because I'm sure there are places just as good wherever you go. Motsu-nabe (meat hot-pot) is famous in this area, and it's great. I like drinking atsukan, hot sake, with it. It's not so straight-forward to eat though. Even Nanita, who is kind of local, had to ask the waitress exactly what to do. When she served the first round of food from the pot, she took some stock out as well. Apparently not the done thing... you have been warned!

Ohori Park (大濠公園), if you're in the area, is a large, pretty park with a big lake and lots of wildlife. (Photo at the bottom)

On the last day we took a drive out around the Hakata-wan peninsula, to the north of Fukuoka city. There a costal area that loops back round the mainland and gives a great view of the city, especially at night. While exploring the peninsula I actually drove up some ragged hill tops - almost wrecking the car in the process - but ended up coming across some nice little parks that had some great views over the mainland.

People in Fukuoka are great! Friendly and hospitable, a different world to Tokyo. The weather is also at the extremes. Freezing in winter, a furnace in summer - in both cases more so than Tokyo. Spending time in Fukuoka, and in the rest of Kyushu really completed my picture of Japan and I can't recommend it highly enough! You could probably tell from reading this that I like food and onsen. I think many people come to Japan not particularly interested in these things, but I really think that these are fundamental to understanding the country, the people, and taking advantage of everything it has to offer. Needless to say that knowing some Japanese really goes a long way, in the sense that you can find out more things, get more options for things to do. Reading, perhaps even more than speaking, is a real advantage. The Japanese like their brochures, whether for tourist attractions, menus, or onsen. Often not being able to read the words accompanying the pictures means you can miss out on some special places. I certainly made a decision to improve my kanji after this trip.