Kyushu, Day 14: Fukuoka Castle Ruins

MARCH 17, 2020

We passed by MAIZURU PARK but none of the trees had any flower blooming.

A short walk from there, we reached FUKUOKA CASTLE RUINS. I was expecting to see remnants of the main keep but there was not so much to see. What survived were some turrets and guard towers in the castle grounds. Portion of the moat was also noticeable.

We went to ICHIRAN TENJIN NISHIDORI afterwards and ordered the premium tonkotsu (kamadare style) again. This time, we did not buy the set because we were still full from breakfast. I bought extra osukaran vinegar (¥120), Ichiran’s original premium vinegar, and added it to the broth. That brought out a nice touch of sourness although my conclusion is not adding the vinegar is still better.

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I shopped for tea bags and tea leaves in the store recommended by Hisako-obaasan. It was difficult to spot because there was no English sign but good thing she sent me a picture of the store.

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We went back to Canal City and spotted a Studio Ghibli shop…

…then went to HAKATA GION TETSUNABE for early dinner. We ordered the bestselling tetsunabe gyoza, which were bite-sized pieces of gyoza served in hot skillet.

We went back home afterwards because Hisako-obaasan and Masanobu-ojiisan prepared a yummy light dinner for our last night in Fukuoka.

They served us okonomiyaki, homemade umeshu, sake, and a side of salad with prosciutto.

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What a perfect way to cap off our last night for this Kyushu region trip!

Kyushu, Day 13: Sumiyoshi Shrine

MARCH 16, 2020

Breakfast this day was Western style and the lovely grandparent couple offered to drop us off the nearest JR train station so that we would not walk.

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We went to SUMIYOSHI SHRINE first, which is one of the oldest and most respected shrines in Kyushu. There were several red torii which made the place feel like a mini Fushimi Inari Taisha. We also saw a statue of a sumo wrestler and there was a sign there that if you touch the palm of his hands, it will give you strength.

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We then went to Tenjin (again) and looked for a Taito Station branch… Why? To do purikura again but this time with better pictures printed out. Haha! We were successful with this 2^nd attempt so yay!

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For lunch, Hisako-obaasan recommended KARO NO URON, Fukuoka’s oldest restaurant (1882). Initially, I wanted to eat in Ganso Hakata Mentaiju but the line was ridiculously long. We ordered one of the bestselling udon priced at ¥690 only. Taking pictures was not allowed so here is a picture of the restaurant from the outside instead.

We went to Canal City after lunch and shopped in Muji then stayed in Muji’s Café.

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We wanted to go home early so we decided to eat dinner early. We tried the famous hamburg curry in BERKELEY HAKATA and found this to be a good contender against Coco Ichibanya.

Kyushu, Day 12: Nokonoshima

MARCH 15, 2020

Every breakfast in our Airbnb felt like a feast… and as someone who does not eat breakfast, I always end up feeling super full after eating our breakfast.

Before leaving the house, Hisako-obaasan gave me a plastic mat and snacks for our Nokonoshima trip. Such a super sweet person as well as her husband! They made us feel like we were their grandkids.

We took a bus then ferry to go to the island then another bus to reach the main area of NOKONOSHIMA. Note that the ferry runs every 30 minutes only so better get the schedule first from any tourist info center to be able to plan this trip properly.

We paid for ¥1,200 entrance fee per person to get inside the park. And while there were no sakura trees blooming yet, there were a lot of flower types already in full bloom.

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After a long walk, we finally reached the area which I only saw in pictures before.

The rapeseed flowers were in full bloom and there was a pathway you can enter to be closer to the flowers.

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Once satisfied with the pictures, we set the plastic mat and munched on the snacks provided by Hisako-obaasan. What a wonderful picnic especially with good weather that day!

We had lunch already in Hakata station where we tried HAKATA ISSOU. C still prefers Shin Shin because she found Hakata Issou’s broth to be nice at the beginning but too salty towards the end.

We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for clothes and souvenirs then went back to our Airbnb to rest.

Kyushu, Day 11: Tenjin

MARCH 14, 2020

For our first breakfast in the Airbnb, Hisako-obaasan cooked a gyudon-like meal with different veggies as side dish. She also served us fruits for dessert and prepared one of her high-quality green teas when she learned that I love drinking tea.

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We spent this day just in Tenjin…

…but did a small detour to Hakata Station because C was finding a store selling Nintendo Switch. Inside the station, we passed by this bakery called Il Forno Del Mignon. Since the start of this trip, we would always get hungry because we could smell their pastries even a few hundred meters away. Unfortunately, there was always a long line. But during this day, there were no customers so we gave in and bought the plain croissant. We finally realized why there was a hype!

When we returned to Tenjin, we went to PARCO to visit the Kimetsu no Yaiba Sweets Café which was open for a limited time. However, there was a long line and when we saw the mechanics to buy the Kimetsu no Yaiba-themed desserts, we just found it to be too expensive. We went to One Piece Store instead, which was also in the same mall.

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Still in PARCO, in B1F we found different restaurants for lunch. We went to KIWAMIYA, famous for Imari beef (from Saga) that you can cook on a heated stone. Even if there was a long line, it was moving quickly so we fell in line.

We ordered the hamburg steak (¥1,500) and extra garlic chips…

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Best decision!!! We just had to deal with bit of pain from the oil while cooking. The place was quite cramped. So we could not stretch as much as we wanted to.

After that, we went looking for animate and Mandarake. Disappointed though because animate was under construction while Mandarake was a bit far. I wonder why there is no popular anime street or area in Fukuoka…

We ended up looking for a coffee shop to take a rest and we found MANU. The coffee was good and everyone in their staff was nice. When we paid for our orders before leaving, the guy behind the counter made a small talk with us.

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For dinner, we went to one of the yatai stalls in Tenjin. Yatai literally means “shop stand” and this is a small, mobile food stall which opens up in the evening only. I saw a recommendation from Yoshke (The Poor Traveler) to go to TENJIN YATAI MUNE. Not sure if the stall changed its name because their menu says “Soh’s Tenjin Food Stall” but the food that they offered was still the same.

We ordered mentai tamagoyaki (¥800), dai-chan yaki (¥650), and yaki-ramen (¥800). The best ones here were the mentai tamagoyaki and yaki-ramen. The stall also had a policy that we have to order one drink each – not sure if this is the same for the other yatai in the area.

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We wanted to return here for another dinner but with the few days left, we had other food places to try. Highly recommend this yatai though!

Kyushu, Day 10: Yanagawa

MARCH 13, 2020

Yanagawa is well-known for its canals and eel production… which are the reasons why we went to this area. We headed to GANSO MOTOYOSHIYA for lunch as it was the nearest unagi restaurant to the kawakudari company with free donkobune ride included in our ticket pack. We ordered their famous unagi no seiromushi (¥3,700).

Ganso Motoyoshiya was established in 1681 and well-known to be the origin of unagi no seiromushi. They described this dish as (1681) “charcoal-broiled fillets of eel placed on a bed of flavored rice in a steamer, topped with finely sliced scrambled egg, and served with a light soup containing eel liver”.

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The taste did not disappoint! I was bothered by the bones though and not sure if it should be removed, but I did that. The best part was eating the rice coated with their sauce.

From the restaurant, we walked for a few minutes to reach YANAGAWA KANKO KAIHATSU K.K. SHOUGETSU PUNTING STATION. This was the kawakudari (“short river cruise”) company included in the Dazaifu and Yanagawa One-Day Sightseeing Ticket Pack for free.

We were guided to the dock for donkobune, which are low flat boats pushed with a pole. Ogata-ojiisan, our boat captain and guide, warmly welcomed us. We were fortunate to have another passenger who knew some English so during the 1-hour ride, he would translate some of the fun facts given by Ogata-ojiisan.

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Ogata-ojiisan actually had a good English accent and would sometimes give facts in English so we learned a lot during the cruise. We passed by 10 or 11 low bridges during the cruise so we had to lower our head and body to avoid bumping on these.

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We saw trees with different types of flowers already blooming, signaling that the peak of spring was just around the corner. Unfortunately, no sakura but Ogata-ojiisan said that the place would become even more beautiful in a week or two when the sakura trees have bloomed.

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In the middle of the cruise, we stopped by this small area where they were selling snacks, dessert, and beer. When I found out that one of the ice cream flavors was Amaou ichigo (Amaou strawberry), I immediately said that I would buy one. The ice cream was really, really good – milky and very prominent strawberry taste. It did not taste like an artificial flavoring.

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Some more spots we passed by…

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And after an hour, we said our goodbye to Ogata-ojiisan and the very friendly local passenger.

We went back to Hakata and had dinner at HYOTAN SUSHI, a kaitenzushi (“conveyor belt sushi”) restaurant. It was fascinating to see different kinds of sushi on the conveyor belt where you could get any plate that you want to try.

They also offered a menu so that if nothing on the conveyor belt interests you, you could select from the menu and ask one of the chefs to prepare it. This was how I placed most of my orders because otoro (¥390) and snow crab (¥450+) were not available on the conveyor belt.

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I ordered these again because both were really good! Otoro is the fattiest part of the tuna so that one had a melt-in-your-mouth feel. As for the snow crab, the amount of meat in the sushi was really generous!

After dinner, we headed to our new Airbnb and the lovely couple homeowners welcomed us with mochi and cup of matcha. ❤

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Kyushu, Day 10: Dazaifu Tenmangu

MARCH 13, 2020

At Tenjin Station, we bought the Dazaifu and Yanagawa One-Day Sightseeing Ticket Pack (¥3,080). This was a good purchase because you can either choose the route:

• Tenjin – Dazaifu – Yanagawa – Tenjin; or
• Tenjin – Yanagawa – Dazaifu – Tenjin

The ticket pack also included discounts in various partner stores (restaurants, souvenirs, etc.).

We went for the first route option as we had a scheduled kimono rental in Dazaifu in the morning. And when we reached Dazaifu station, it made us feel like we were transported back in time.

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We reserved an appointment for kimono rental in WARGO, the same rental shop I went to in Kyoto last 2018. Still in awe on how quick they were in dressing us up as well as doing our hairstyle. Their location was convenient for us because Dazaifu Tenmangu was just a short walk away.

Once we entered DAZAIFU TENMANGU, we were greeted by the statue of an ox. We saw the locals patting its head and upon researching, it is believed that you can become smarter by doing this.

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After this, there were bridges to cross over Lake Shinji to reach the shrine’s honden. These three bridges represented one timeline each – past, present, and future.

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Reaching the honden (main hall), people pray and revere Sugawara Michizane, the god of academics and learning. When Michizane was still alive, he was respected as a scholar, politician, and a poet.

I noticed that this shrine had omikuji in various colorful papers and ema in different shapes and designs. I was not able to see it but I read that there Dazaifu Tenmangu offers a unique omikuji called usodori. The usodori is a type of bird and is considered to be the guardian of Tenjin-sama. It is believed to improve people’s fortunes and brings them happiness.

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Dazaifu Tenmangu also has an ume garden but unfortunately, the trees were not yet blooming. Or did they finish already?

Before leaving to return the kimono, we dropped by the line of food stalls outside the shrine and bought takoyaki (¥500). I also bought an Amaou strawberry stick (¥700). In a stick, there was one chocolate-covered Amaou strawberry while the other two were plain ones. Seemed expensive but all worth it because those were really good strawberries! Amaou strawberry is the pride of Hakata region because it is considered as one of the best, if not the best, strawberries in Japan.

Time to return the kimono and head to Yanagawa!

Kyushu, Day 9: Nagasaki A-Bomb Museum

Our visit in ATOMIC BOMB MUSEUM was very depressing but at the same time I felt that we must not shy away from visiting it. I wrote a lengthy post in IG on this day and I still stand by it. Japan definitely fucked up the Philippines during WWII and I can still recall the horrifying experiences shared by surviving comfort women when I was in college. Every deed that the Japanese soldiers did was unforgivable.

But, we cannot deny that the deaths of the innocent citizens in Nagasaki and Hiroshima were also unjustifiable. It put a stop to the war… but at what cost? May what happened be a lesson that in any war, no one wins and only casualties are gained.

Some of the stuff inside the museum were the wall clock that stopped at the time of atomic bomb explosion, a replica of Urakami Cathedral’s wall remnant, and videos showing uncensored dead bodies / injured survivors.

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There was also a replica of the atomic bomb (called “Fat Man”) and what it contained inside.

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When I read the poems made to the atomic bombing, I had to put a lot of effort not to cry really hard. C and I were not talking after our visit and had to eat after just to put some good vibes…

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We visited IWASAKI HONPO near our Airbnb. Famous for its kakuni manju (¥400 per piece), we bought 6 pieces to share. The meat serving size was generous and it had a kinda melt-in-your-mouth texture. That brought up our mood to a bit of better one.

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We bought castella (¥1,200) at FUKUSAYA, one of the famous shops in Nagasaki.

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It was time for us to return to Fukuoka and for dinner, we decided to go to ICHIRAN to boost our mood again. We got the premium tonkotsu (kamadare style) set (¥1,580) which included extra chashu slices, tamago, nori, and kikuage. Only the Tenjin Nishidori branch and Hakata Station branch serves the kamadare style Ichiran ramen.

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This was C’s first time to try Ichiran ramen and she really, really enjoyed the experience.

Kyushu, Day 9: Nagasaki Peace Park

MARCH 12, 2020

Going to NAGASAKI’S PEACE PARK, we got off Ohashi Station instead of Peace Park. We decided to start at the end of the park then walk our way towards A-Bomb Museum.

Our first encountered monument was the Peace Statue which symbolized a lot of meanings:

• Right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons
• Left hand symbolizes tranquility and world peace
• Sturdy physique embodies divine omnipotence and love
• Closed eyes express prayer for the repose of the souls of all war victims
• Right leg is for quiet meditation
• Left leg is poised for action in assisting humanity

There was also a bell tower with a horrific account of a survivor from the atomic bombing in 1945…

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Other monuments / statues in the park were gifted by different countries as an act of grief and prayer to never experience the tragedy of nuclear weapons ever again.

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  Tree of Life

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  Hymn to Life

Similar to Hiroshima, Nagasaki’s Peace Park also had its Fountain of Peace.

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Near the park was the HYPOCENTER OF ATOMIC BOMB. There were info sheets detailing the tragedy that happened in 1945. The original remnant wall of Urakami Cathedral was also placed here.

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They also encased stones that were damaged by the atomic bomb which served as proof that even sturdy materials were not spared by the explosion and radiation. Another grim reminder on the horrible effects of nuclear weapon.

Kyushu, Day 8: Mount Inasa

MARCH 11, 2020

From Kumamoto, we headed to Nagasaki next. Bye Kumamon! Once we settled down in our Airbnb, we went to NAGASAKI ROPEWAY (Fuchi Shrine Station) to ride a cable car (¥1,250) going to the top of Mount Inasa.

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MOUNT INASA stands at 333 MASL and offers a 360-degree view not only of the city but also of the sea and islands beyond.

We waited for the sunset…

…and eventually for the evening view. I read in different articles online that they dub this as Nagasaki’s “million-dollar nighttime view”.

It was very windy and very cold though! Even the locals were screaming whenever the wind blowed. After taking in the view and taking pictures, we went down and headed back to the cable car station.

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Of all days I had to wear ripped jeans. LOL. For dinner, we went to Shiambashi Hountei to order their famous gyoza (¥800) but that was not enough to fill us. So we decided to buy 7-11 stuff.

Kyushu, Day 8: Kumamoto City

MARCH 11, 2020

Not going to leave Kumamoto without seeing the MONKEY D. LUFFY STATUE (One Piece). Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, grew up in Kumamoto and donated a huge amount of money after the devastating earthquake in 2016. To commemorate his generous act, the Kumamoto government decided to build statues of the Strawhat crew in different locations in Kumamoto.

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We went to KUMAMOTO CASTLE afterwards but we only saw the outside. The castle suffered serious damage from the 2016 earthquake and reconstruction is still ongoing.

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For lunch, we went to MATSUYA and ordered gyumeshi. But our curiosity was piqued with the cheese hamburg so we also got this but for sharing. Sooo good! Even better than the gyumeshi.

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