Trip to Japan: Day 7 - A Town of Hawks ５月３０日

My last full day in Fukuoka 福岡 was one of those dreary, overcast kind of days that result in lousy photographs. It began with a short subway ride from Nakasu-Kawabata 中洲川端 to Ōhori-Kōen Station 大濠公園駅, and Ōhori-Kōen 大濠公園 park. The park was created on the site of the old Kuroda 黒田 lords' castle, and is dominated by a large lake. It's a pleasant place, full of cyclists, joggers and walkers enjoying the quiet, green oasis.

The main attraction in the park is the Fukuoka-shi Bijutsukan 福岡市美術館, the city's art museum. The upstairs gallery has an interesting collection of Western art, displayed with contemporary works by Japanese artists, much of it also in the Western vein. Included in the collection were "The Madonna of Port Lligat" by Salvador Dali; "Elvis" by Andy Warhol; and "Seascape with Clouds" by Roy Lichtenstein. The painting below that I was able to sneak a photo of is by a Japanese artist named Sumio Gotō 後藤純男, and is called "Fresh Snow" 新雪 (1977):

The downstairs gallery is made up of early Japanese and Asian art, with the best pieces being the statues of the twelve guardian generals 十二神将 of Buddhism, each with a crown depicting an animal from the Chinese Zodiac calendar.

Leaving the park, I got back on the subway and rode it a couple of stops to Nishijin Station 西新駅. I then proceeded to walk about 15 minutes or so to Fukuoka Tower 福岡タワー, a thin, 234-meter (768 feet) communications tower which includes an observation deck. Even on an overcast day, the views of the city and Hakata Bay 博多湾 were fabulous:

Fukuoka Tower

Feeling satisfied that I could now say I had seen Fukuoka, I left the tower and went to the nearby Fukuoka-shi Hakubutsukan 福岡市博物館 local history museum. Northern Kyūshū 九州 seems chock full of excellent museums, and this one was no exception, helped immensely by the free English-language audio guide. The highlight of all the displays was undoubtedly the Kin-in gold seal 金印. This National Treasure 国宝 is a 2.3 square centimeter (0.36 square inch), 109 gram (3.8 ounce) gold seal presented by the Han Emperor of China to the King of Na 奴国 (a local kingdom during the Yayoi Period 弥生時代) in 57 CE (and rediscovered in a grave on a small island in Hakata Bay in 1784).

From the museum, I walked about 800 meters (0.5 miles) to the Hawks Town ホークスタウン area. The district consists of the JAL Resort Sea Hawk Hotel (with a high atrium facing the sea), the Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome ヤフードーム (home of the Pacific League's パリーグ Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 福岡ソフトバンクホークス baseball team) and the Hawks Town shopping mall.

I had hoped to go to a Hawks game while I was in Fukuoka, but my preference for weekday night games could not be realized as the team was on the road until Saturday. There was a game going on in the afternoon when I arrived on the scene, but I had to content myself with a visit to the souvenir store, which was showing the game on closed-circuit TV (the Hawks would beat the Chūnichi Dragons 中日ドラゴンズ that day by a score of 9-5). I left with a SoftBank cap (I had already bought Honey, the Hawks' female mascot, as a present for Amber the previous night at a Sports Authority スポーツオーそりティ outlet in Canal City キャナルシティ博多), and after walking through the mall, I got a bus for the scenic ride over the Aratsu-Ōhashi 荒津大橋 suspension bridge, and into the Tenjin 天神 area.

From Tenjin, I walked back to my hotel, and passed a demonstration against the transfer of a children's hospital to an artificial island:

After a short rest in my room, I ventured out again, and did the tourist thing in Hakata 博多 - eating a bowl of rāmen ラーメン at a street stall 屋台. I was surprised to find the yatai decked out in Saitama Seibu Lions 埼玉西武ライオンズ banners, but the friendly cook explained he had been a Lions fan since childhood, back when the team played in Fukuoka as the Nishitetsu Lions 西鉄ライオンズ, before moving to its present home in Tokorozawa 所沢. Though he had spent some time working in a Yoshinoya 吉野家 in Los Angeles back in the 1980's, we spoke in Japanese, and he was very interested in Taiwanese cuisine (as are many Japanese):

On my last night in Fukuoka, I walked back to Tenjin and soon found myself at the International Bar インターナショナルバー, where I had my only conversation with a Westerner during my entire visit, in this case the Albanian bartender. One draft beer and two Moscow Mules later, and feeling pretty good, I stepped back into the night, and on the way "home", paused to take a picture of the Akarenga Cultural Center 赤煉瓦文化館, erected in 1909 as the home for a life insurance company:

As I passed through Nakasu 中洲, the entertainment district built on a sandbank in the middle of the Naka-gawa River 那珂川, I decided to record the moment for posterity. The shaky camerawork in the first video was due to my attempt at being discreet. After reaching the end of the main road, I crossed over to the other side of the street, and walked back in the opposite direction. This time I made no attempt to hide the camera:

Walk through Nakasu Part 1

Walk through Nakasu Part 2

翌日台湾に戻ってしまった。

Trip to Japan: Day 6 - Life isn't always a Beach ５月２９日

Before leaving for Japan, I had packed a swimsuit in the hope that the weather would be warm enough in Kyūshū 九州 to allow for a dip in the ocean while I was there. Well, things don't always turn out as planned. In fact, the day I went to Karatsu 唐津, a city of 130,000 with a long stretch of beach (about 70 minutes by train from Fukuoka 福岡), was the worst in terms of weather during my trip. Fortunately, I had the foresight to bring along a jacket as well as swim gear, because I needed one on this cool, overcast and windy day.

Karatsu is first and foremost a pottery 焼き物 town, and I visited a couple of kiln-galleries, as well as purchased a pair of small, inexpensive items from the Karatsu Ware Federation Exhibition Hall next to the train station. Although I'm hardly a connoisseur when it comes to ceramics, I could appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the pottery (and gape open-mouthed at some of the prices being charged!). The galleries I went to were also attractive buildings in their own right, especially that of Nakazato Tarōemon 中里太郎右衛門窯:

After lunch at a kaiten-zushi 回転寿司 restaurant (a must when in Japan), I went to Karatsu-jinja 唐津神社, in the center of Karatsu:

The shrine was OK, but better was the Hikiyama Festival Float Exhibition Hall 曳山展示場 nearby, containing 14 floats used in the city's Karatsu Kunchi Matsuri 唐津くんち祭り every Nov. 2-4. The festival has been held since 1592, and looks like it would be a spectacular sight, judging from the video of the event shown at the hall. The floats are big, and come in designs including samurai helmets, a dragon, a chicken and a bright red fish:

Next, I walked to Karatsu-jō 唐津城. I'm not usually a fan of reconstructed castles (this one was built in 1966), but the hilltop location overlooking the sea was certainly picturesque. Inside were the usual displays of archaeological finds, ceramics and samurai armor and swords, but the view from the top floor was the drawing card. As you can hear in the video, it was pretty windy up there!:

Karatsu-jō

From the castle, I made my way towards the forested area seen in the background of the second photo above. Crossing the bridge, it was all I could do to stand upright! The wind continued to blow in from the ocean as I walked along the beach, as you can see in this self-portrait:

Even if the weather had been good enough for swimming, the Niji-no Matsubara 虹ノ松原 Beach was in a terrible state (I assume it gets cleaned up before the start of the "official" swimming season in July). Reaching the pine tree area, I turned back towards the city, and took a long walk back to the train station. Had it been a nicer day, I would've taken advantage of the free bicycles available for tourists, but I didn't really feel like pedaling into the wind all day. I returned to Fukuoka in the late afternoon, and following dinner, relaxed with a pint of Bass at a British-style pub near my hotel before retiring to bed in preparation for my last full day in the city.

 

On the way back to Karatsu Station 唐津駅

I had actually passed through Karatsu back in 1990, pausing long enough to rent a car and drive to Yobuko 呼子, a fishing port on the Higashi-Matsuura Peninsula 東松浦半島, where I stayed a couple of nights (the town merged with Karatsu City 唐津市 in 2005). Despite the less-than-ideal weather, I enjoyed my visit this time. If I were living in Fukuoka, I could imagine myself spending time there in the summer months swimming and biking on the weekends. Pottery and surf make for a good combination!

Trip to Japan: Day 5 - Going Straight ５月２８日

Shimonoseki 下関 is a city of 290,000 people, lying at the southwestern tip of the island of Honshū 本州 and facing both the Tsushima 対馬海峡 and Kanmon Straits 関門海峡. The city is known for fugu フグ and (unfortunately) whaling, and as a ferry connection for trips to South Korea, but my interest was drawn by its setting for one of the most important moments in Japanese history. Arriving by train at Shimonoseki Station 下関駅 just before 11am, I boarded a bus for my first destination, Akama-jingū 赤間神宮. This Shintō 神道 shrine is dedicated to Antoku 安徳天皇, the child emperor who drowned at the conclusion of the Battle of Dannoura 壇ノ浦の戦い in 1185, which occurred in the straits that the shrine overlooks. The first thing you notice at Akama-jingū is the Suiten-mon 水天門, a Chinese-style arched gate that only dates from 1958, when the shrine was rebuilt after being damaged in the Second World War. The main worship hall is unusual in that there are two shallow pools of water on either side of the altar:

Akama-jingū was originally a Buddhist temple built to appease the souls of the dead Taira 平氏 warriors killed in the Battle of Dannoura, and a small graveyard to the left of the worship hall still contains fourteen of their graves. There is also a statue of Hōichi Miminashi 耳なし芳一, aka "earless Hōichi", made famous in a ghost story related by Lafcadio Hearn 小泉八雲:

Anyone with an interest in Taiwanese history would want to pay a quick visit next door to the shrine. The Sino-Japan Peace Treaty Memorial Hall 日清講和記念館 is a small museum housed in a building that dates from 1936. It recreates the room where the Treaty of Shimonoseki 下関条約 was signed, ending the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-5 and ceding Taiwan to Japan. The actual agreement was signed at the Shumpanrō Hotel 春帆楼 behind the hall, but the museum does contain the actual furniture and utensils used during the conference. What would have become of Taiwan had the Japanese been able to retain control after the war? Would it now be Japan's 48th prefecture, or would it be some kind of commonwealth, with Japan responsible for foreign affairs and defense?

Leaving the hall, I walked along the main road, and passed under the Kammon Bridge 関門橋, which links Honshū with Kyūshū 九州. A small plaque and a couple of warrior statues mark the spot of the naval battle in which the Minamoto 源氏 defeated the last of the Taira, bringing both the Gempei War 治承・寿永の乱 and the Heian era 平安時代 to an end, and ushering in the beginning of military rule by shōguns 将軍, or "bakufu" 幕府.

From here, I walked across to the Kyūshū side, using a 700 meter (2300 feet)-long pedestrian tunnel running under the straits to Moji 門司:

The oden おでん lunch and can of beer that I had in a little shack sitting in the shadows of the bridge were pretty welcome by this point!

Returning via the tunnel to the Honshū side again, I ambled over to Hinoyama 火の山, a 268-meter (879 feet) mountain with a commanding view over the strait. I was expecting to walk up to the top, as both my Lonely Planet and Rough Guide books said that the cable car there was only in operation during the months of July and August, but to my surprise it was working! Giving my feet a much-needed rest, I took the cable car to the top, and was greeted with a fantastic vista of the whole of the Kammon Straits and much of the city of Shimonoseki:

View from Hinoyama

After checking out the views, I took the cable car back down. The operator said I bore a resemblance to Tom Cruise! When I pointed out that Cruise is a runt, she replied that she meant I was handsome like him. Flattery will get you everywhere with me! I then hopped on a bus, and continued along the seaside highway to my last sightseeing stop for the day, the Chōfu-teien 長府庭園 garden in Chōfu 長府. The garden only dates from the early years of the 20th century, but the Rough Guide aptly describes it as "elegant", plus it contains my dream Japanese house. Too bad my digital camera couldn't do the grounds justice:

The Chōfu area is noted for its samurai 侍 houses, but it was getting late in the afternoon, so, with some regret, I got back on the bus and returned to central Shimonoseki. After checking my email at the Yamaguchi International Exchange Association, in the Kaikyō-yume Tower 海峡ゆめタワー complex (seen in the background, behind the old Western-style building), I finished off my day in Shimonoseki by having a yakisoba 焼きそば dinner set in a shopping mall restaurant next to the train station. The portions were generous to say the least, and good value at ￥630 ($6.50/NT213), but I was only just able to clean my plate (and drain the beer bottle). I must have weighed down the train on the ride back to Hakata 博多!

Trip to Japan: Day 4 - Flying Plums ５月２７日

This day's excursion was to Dazaifu 太宰府, located on the outskirts of Fukuoka 福岡, 30 minutes or so on the Nishitetsu 西鉄 train line. At one time it was the administrative center for the island of Kyūshū 九州, and later a place of exile for losers of the political infighting at the Imperial court in Kyōto 京都. Now, Dazaifu is something of a quiet town noted for the Temman-gū 天満宮, dedicated to Sugawara-no-Michizane 菅原道真, the most noted of all the exiles.

The shrine is located a short walk from the train station along Tenjin-sama-dōri. Upon reaching the shrine grounds, there is allegorical stone bridge to be crossed, called Taiko-bashi 太鼓橋. The first arch is the steepest, and symbolizes the past. The middle section is flat and denotes the present, while the final, gentle arch represents things yet to come. At the end of the bridge is a two-story leading to a courtyard.

Dazaifu

The main worship hall was built in 1591 and is very colorful in its bright red and gold lacquer. Unfortunately, my camera couldn't capture the colors very well on this dark, overcast day:

Perhaps because Tenjin 天神 is the guardian deity of scholars, there were a lot of school groups visiting the shrine that day (then again, it could have just been an ordinary school trip). Inside the worship hall, a ceremony of some kind was being held. In front of the building, and to the right, stood a twisted plum tree said to be over a thousand years old. The story goes that tree uprooted itself from Michizane's Kyōto garden the night before his departure for Dazaifu, and flew ahead of him to this spot.

From the shrine grounds, I hopped on an escalator that cut through some rock and emerged in front of the Kyūshū National Museum 九州国立博物館. Architecturally speaking, it didn't really mesh well with Dazaifu's more traditional sights, but the contents were excellent. The day I visited, there was a special exhibition on Tibetan treasures, which was well worth the ￥1300 ($14/NT440) ticket price. But the permanent exhibition was just as good, focusing on Japan's ties to the Asian continent, and the influence they have had on Japanese art and culture. The excellent (and free) English audio guide really helped to explain the intention of the curators.

Leaving the museum, I returned to Temman-gū and had a katsudon カツ丼 set lunch at a restaurant on the grounds. Afterward, it was a short walk to a temple called Kōmyōzen-ji 光明禅寺. This quiet temple boasted two gardens, one in the front and the other in the back. Everything you ever imagined about a Japanese garden was there - white sand, moss, boulders and maple trees. It must be an amazing sight in fall, but even in late May the scene was beautiful, and I spent some time here taking in the view and walking around the temple.

Leaving the temple and walking back along Tenjin-sama-dōri, I paused long enough to sample umegae-mochi 梅が枝餅, the local treat. Then I proceeded to walk to the other end of Dazaifu to visit two other old Buddhist temples. Much of the walk was alongside a canal, where the sight of this bird (a heron?) trying to swallow a large goldfish or carp drew a small crowd of onlookers:

The first temple I visited was Kanzeon-ji 観世音寺, founded in 746, and at one time the largest temple in Kyūshū. Now, there are only a few buildings (17th century), but the adjacent treasure house contains a dozen or so Buddhist images dating in age from between 750 and 1300 years old. Photography naturally wasn't allowed, but the informative English booklet that came with the admission ticket did a lot to enhance the experience of seeing these powerful sculptures up close (there were no glass cases to separate the images from the viewers).

The last temple I visited this day was conveniently located next door. Kaidan-in 戒壇院 dates from the late eighth century, and its interior held a statue of an eleven-headed Kannon 観音, crafted during the Heian period 平安時代 (794-1185). Coming from a country like the USA with its relatively short history, and living on an island like Taiwan, where it's rare to find things older than a couple of centuries, I often myself in awe in Japan at how artifacts and structures of great antiquity comfortably exist in the world's second largest economy.

By this time it was late in the afternoon, and I was pretty much finished with Dazaifu. Returning to the train station, I took the train to Nishitetsu-Futsukaichi Station 西鉄二日市駅, but instead of changing trains there for the return trip to Fukuoka, I exited and walked to JR Futsukaichi Station 二日市駅. Following a meal of chicken curried rice and beer, I then continued on foot past the station to the Futsukaichi Onsen 二日市温泉 hot spring area. There, I entered the Gozen-yu 御前湯 public bath, paid the ￥200 ($2.10/NT70) fee and proceeded to get naked with a bunch of strangers, none of whom seemed the least bit fazed to find a hairy barbarian in their midst. The waters felt great after a long day of walking around, and the post-bath can of Asahi Super Dry アサヒスーパードライ wasn't too bad, either.

I returned to Fukuoka via JR, and finished the day with a stroll through the Nakasu 中洲 entertainment district, where the mobile street stalls called "yatai" 屋台 had been set up along the southwest bank of the island. In the nearby red light district, it appeared to be business as usual.