November 2016, part three - Fukuoka

Fukuoka opened us the gate to Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands. Kyushu has mild to subtropical weather which was very pleasant. We stayed for two nights in a hotel Hakata, central part of Fukuoka. After bunk bed in a hostel in Kyoto and traditional bedding in Kobe, it felt luxurious. The bathroom felt like made out of a one piece of plastic - bath connected with sink and floor. The famed Japanese toilet offered many functions, but the best one was the heated seat :). The equipment of Japanese bathrooms and accommodations in general in Japan was always good - shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and wash soap for hands and face. In hotels also toothbrushes and toothpastes. Everywhere was also very clean, be it on the streets or inside buildings.

Typical equipment of Japanese bathroom

These are the controls on a modern Japanese toilet (I have not tried to push any button though :))

Few days before our arrival a part of the street near our hotel collapsed, probably due to nearby subway construction works (more info here). The sinkhole was repaired and the street was reopened only one week after the collapse. When we went to check it out it was wrapped in some kind of blue sheet (to avoid it getting wet because it was raining) with few construction machines around.

I have not mentioned Japanese television yet. It should be remembered that Japanese entertainment is very unique and own to Japanese people (just google any Japanese commercials or shows and you know what I'm talking about). The content of TV programs is mostly reality shows where local celebrities react to everything possible and their constant "ooooh!", "heeee?" and "eeeeh?!" have really got on my nerves. On the bright side I also saw some interesting documents, for example one about Hayao Miyazaki (the famous animation director of Studio Ghibli), one about the Japanese actor from that Wolverine movie that took place in Japan and oh yes, I also saw one episode of Mr. Bean :-).

"So what's on the TV today?"

Japanese traditions

During our stay in Fukuoka we went on a day trip to nearby town of Dazaifu, with more than a thousand years of history. Dazaifu had a calm impression (the opposite of Hakata) which was a pleasant change after the previous hectic days. Walking through such a true Japanese town far from busy city center was one of my greatest experiences.

We headed for Tenman-gu, an ancient temple from year 905 dedicated to Tenjin, the god of education. The temple was already full of people as we witnessed the so-called '7-5-3' festival, which takes place on 15th November each year. This is a ceremony where 3 and 7 year old girls and 3 and 5 year old boys with their parents come to pray to the shrine for their health and safety. It is because the Japanese believe that children of this age are exposed to disaster and need divine protection.

On the way to Tenman-gu

The Tenman-gu shrine and the whole area with a pond with multi-colored koi carps and typical Japanese bridge is definitely worth a visit.

Ema - small wooden plaques with prayers or wishes that are left hanging up at the shrine

Our next stop was Kanzeon-ji - a Buddhist temple from the 7th century which was once the most important temple in all of Kyushu. The temple and its surrounding areas felt like a trip back in time to a calm place ideal for meditations.

The ancient Buddhist temple Kanzeon-ji

On our way back to the train station we passed typical rice fields and walked past the school from which a lot of children were coming out. When they saw us, every kid greeted us with a broken 'Hello' and stared at us like we were some kind of celebrities, it was quite the experience :). At that moment we were the biggest attraction to them (I felt that I have not met any westerner in this town). A few brave girls even talked to us and asked where are we from, but when we mentioned we are from Slovakia (or Czechoslovakia) only Dvorak came to their minds :).

Rice fields in Dazaifu

We also ordered breakfast at our hotel to get the experience of typical Japanese style morning meal. It contained also soup and rice, the other contents were more traditional. Here I must emphasize that I love Japanese rice and it was great anywhere we went. The original Japanese rice is one of the things I miss here in Slovakia although there are certain Japanese restaurants here in Bratislava.

Japanese breakfast: fish, rice, miso soup, tofu, vegetables and seaweed

And now to Japanese Kit-Kats. As I mentioned in the introduction, the Japanese have the most varieties of this sweet bar in the world. It is around 300 flavors and regional varieties. 'Kitto Kattsu' in Japanese means something like 'certain winner' or 'you'll definitely win' and therefore is Kit-Kat associated with the wish of success especially for students in the exams (on the cover of the chocolate bar is even a place to write a message). And since I mentioned the wooden boards with prayers and wishes in the temples, you can imagine how the Japanese love similar good luck charms. Kit-Kat flavors include for example: sake, green tea, strawberry, raspberry, wasabi, apple, melon, banana, soy sauce, chestnut, purple potato, orange, lemon, pumpkin or rum raisins.

And I must not forget the Christmas flavor of butter biscuit I bought and according to instructions the bar was supposed to be toasted for a while in the microwave which would result in a fine crust on top, but unfortunately I left it there for too long... 

Few examples of Japanes Kit-Kats (sake, purple potato, strawberry)

The second day in Hakata, before we left for good, I went to check out the shops. I don't think that I need to mention that, as usual, the main station hides a huge multi-storey shopping center. In the square in front of the station Christmas markets began to grow in European style and relatively cheesy decoration. To give an example on the organization of Japanese people I attach photos of them waiting for taxis in front of the station.

Passengers waiting in line for taxis

Taxis waiting in line for passengers

Lastly, a video from the Tenman-gu shrine of praying for the happiness of children. Part 4 - Kagoshima.