May 18, Friday
Another lazy morning; I just love those. At noon I walk to City Hall again to purchase a ticket for the Open Top Bus, Blue line this time, but it is only available at 4 pm. I decide to make one last attempt at purchasing a spare battery for my new camera and head for the BIC Camera shop on the other side of Fukuoka Tenjin Station. Eureka ! The guy who works there figures out the conversion code for the battery I bought in Hong Kong, with one that is made in China (What ??? Not Japan !!!) and I finally have a spare battery.
Beautiful statue in front of City Hall. This would not be allowed in Canada or most cities in the USA. We are such prudes. Look at how lovely this is; you can almost feel the breeze.
Kego Park, behind the Tenjin Bus Centre
I decide to walk to Ohori Park, more than ½ hour away. I opt to take some of the smaller side streets rather than staying on the large avenues, since you see more of the “real” thing. I’m stopped on a street corner with a map in my hand trying to locate a street sign to confirm how many blocks I still have to walk when a guy on the bike stops to ask if I need help. How nice is that ! He confirms that I’m going in the right direction and that there are lots of entrances to the park; they are just about where the trees are up ahead. NOT ! I’m in a residential area now and can see the park up on the hill to the right, but no way to get to it. I finally find the entrance after stopping to ask for directions at a small fruit and vegetable stand: “Turn right, KFC” the little lady tells me. Yes that was Kentucky Fried Chicken and although the street looked like it dead ended into a parking lot, I turned right anyway and finally spotted a tiny little sign with an arrow that led into the park.
Map of Ohari Park . It is quite large. I enetered where you can see a tiny brown semi-circle
The hill is on quite a slope as I go up the path, but also a slope up to the left. Check out the huge tree growing at an angle out of the slope.
And I reach the castle's protective surrounding walls
I walk up following a series of paths until I reach the ruins. “Fukuoka Castle (built in 1601) was one of the largest castles in Japan with four floors, 47 turrets and samurai quarters spanning over 2.46 million square meters. The East gate provided access between the second and third baileys, and it was part of the main route to the second bailey, the castle keep and the castle tower. The third bailey contained the residences of the chief retainers to the feudal lord.” All that is left now are the stone walls which surrounded the castle grounds. It is very peaceful and quite a large area. Apart from three other people, I spot in quiet areas, there is no one here.
There are tiny little purple flowers growing in the cracks of the castle walls. The leaves look like clover. The flowers no bigger than my finger nail. So delicate, and yet so strong.
The wide paths in parts of Ohori are gracefully done. Fukuoka skyline visible in the background
Old stone staircase going up into the wall to what used to be the castle keep.
This is an image of what they think the castle looked like on top of the walls.
A different perspective from the other side.
I make my way through what used to be the castle grounds, down to the area where the Fukuoka City Art Museum is located. I go in for a quick peak since it is very small and contains only 3 rooms where no pictures are allowed: pottery, Buddhist icons and statues.
Statue outside the museum. Very whimsical
I come out of the museum and make my way to the lake, which is the main attraction in Ohori Park. It is quite large and I’m sorry I don’t have a bicycle to ride around it, or have the time to do it.
The lake in Ohori Park
very large, and this is only half of it.
There is a small causeway that crosses the lake (go back to the map at the top of todays' post)
I still have time to take a peek at the Japanese gardens at the south end of the lake.
There is a lovely little stream going through the park, over some rocks, creating small waterfalls. All is quiet here except for the sound of the birds and the water.
An oasis of peace within the city
Black butterfly on an azalea bush
Everything is done in miniature, a kind of "trompe l'oeil" garden design
Helene, you would love the rocks here ! I think they are selected even more carefully than the plants.
And in the far corner, nearest to the lake, a zen garden
I decide that I don’t really want to walk all the way back to City Hall and noticed that there were taxis waiting outside the Museum, so I head back there. Thankfully the map I carry has both English and Japanese because the taxi driver does not appear to be able to tell where I want to go by just looking at the street map. I make it back in plenty of time before my bus is scheduled to leave.
Riding through the streets of Fukuoka this time, on the Blue Line Open Top Bus
We reach the waterfront and the harbour, on the opposite side to the Hakata Port Tower that we see in the distance
Fukuoka / Hakata is located in Hakata Bay, not quite in the East China Sea
Some of my photos are taken through the window, so we have ghost images of the passengers showing, but this one shows a small island in the bay, with what appears to be a causeway, or possibly a boom. It also looks like there is a nice sandy beach on the left side. Who knew !
On to the Blue bus this time and again the guide talks the entire time of the over 1 hour drive, while I listen to the 10 small recorded descriptions on the I-pod. I don’t have a window seat this time, and it is fairly cold today so the entire ride is a bit of a disappointment. It does however confirm that I don’t need to make a special trip back out to the Fukuoka area: Fukuoka Tower, Yahoo Japan Dome (baseball), and the shopping areas. This entire area is new and was all built on reclaimed land. I do get a glimpse of Hakata Bay however and there appears to be a nice sandy beach out there as well.
Fukuoka Yahoo Japan Dome where they play baseball ! Japan's national game.
Again, some imaginative architecture
Crossing the Hii River. There is another bridge next to this one, with a covered pedestrian walkway.
The Fukuoka Tower. There is an observation deck on one of the top floors. Too bad this isn't a "hop-on, hop-off" type of bus.
Marjory: This ones for you; the buildings here also have outside stairwells, but they appear to be slightly nicer than the one you showed us in Moscow.
We drive through a small part of Ohori Park near the castle ruins, not even seeing the lake ! Now really is a shame !
I’m glad to be back at City Hall and this drive to be over. It may be fine for the Japanese tourists who can understand what the guide is saying, but for anyone else, the tour is a bust ! I’ve done a lot of walking today, and now I’m freezing from the bus ride, so I walk quickly back to the hotel for the evening.
Japanese TV isn’t that great. Yes, I watch it even if I can’t understand what they are saying. A lot of talk shows, game shows, shopping networks, a few serials that run every day at the same time. No English channel (BBC, CNN) and when they do run a segment, there is a Japanese over-voice. I’ve managed to catch a few movies that were broadcast in French and a few American movies broadcast in Japanese where I can “kind of” follow the story line. But it is some form of company, even just voices in the background while I work on my computer.
At one point during the evening I hear raised voices outside. Considering I’m on the 10th floor and the windows and walls are almost sound proof, it attracts my attention. Some type of demonstration going on.
It is very orderly however ! ! !
Another lazy morning; I just love those. At noon I walk to City Hall again to purchase a ticket for the Open Top Bus, Blue line this time, but it is only available at 4 pm. I decide to make one last attempt at purchasing a spare battery for my new camera and head for the BIC Camera shop on the other side of Fukuoka Tenjin Station. Eureka ! The guy who works there figures out the conversion code for the battery I bought in Hong Kong, with one that is made in China (What ??? Not Japan !!!) and I finally have a spare battery.
Beautiful statue in front of City Hall. This would not be allowed in Canada or most cities in the USA. We are such prudes. Look at how lovely this is; you can almost feel the breeze.
Kego Park, behind the Tenjin Bus Centre
I decide to walk to Ohori Park, more than ½ hour away. I opt to take some of the smaller side streets rather than staying on the large avenues, since you see more of the “real” thing. I’m stopped on a street corner with a map in my hand trying to locate a street sign to confirm how many blocks I still have to walk when a guy on the bike stops to ask if I need help. How nice is that ! He confirms that I’m going in the right direction and that there are lots of entrances to the park; they are just about where the trees are up ahead. NOT ! I’m in a residential area now and can see the park up on the hill to the right, but no way to get to it. I finally find the entrance after stopping to ask for directions at a small fruit and vegetable stand: “Turn right, KFC” the little lady tells me. Yes that was Kentucky Fried Chicken and although the street looked like it dead ended into a parking lot, I turned right anyway and finally spotted a tiny little sign with an arrow that led into the park.
Map of Ohari Park . It is quite large. I enetered where you can see a tiny brown semi-circle
The hill is on quite a slope as I go up the path, but also a slope up to the left. Check out the huge tree growing at an angle out of the slope.
And I reach the castle's protective surrounding walls
I walk up following a series of paths until I reach the ruins. “Fukuoka Castle (built in 1601) was one of the largest castles in Japan with four floors, 47 turrets and samurai quarters spanning over 2.46 million square meters. The East gate provided access between the second and third baileys, and it was part of the main route to the second bailey, the castle keep and the castle tower. The third bailey contained the residences of the chief retainers to the feudal lord.” All that is left now are the stone walls which surrounded the castle grounds. It is very peaceful and quite a large area. Apart from three other people, I spot in quiet areas, there is no one here.
There are tiny little purple flowers growing in the cracks of the castle walls. The leaves look like clover. The flowers no bigger than my finger nail. So delicate, and yet so strong.
The wide paths in parts of Ohori are gracefully done. Fukuoka skyline visible in the background
Old stone staircase going up into the wall to what used to be the castle keep.
This is an image of what they think the castle looked like on top of the walls.
A different perspective from the other side.
I make my way through what used to be the castle grounds, down to the area where the Fukuoka City Art Museum is located. I go in for a quick peak since it is very small and contains only 3 rooms where no pictures are allowed: pottery, Buddhist icons and statues.
Statue outside the museum. Very whimsical
I come out of the museum and make my way to the lake, which is the main attraction in Ohori Park. It is quite large and I’m sorry I don’t have a bicycle to ride around it, or have the time to do it.
The lake in Ohori Park
very large, and this is only half of it.
There is a small causeway that crosses the lake (go back to the map at the top of todays' post)
I still have time to take a peek at the Japanese gardens at the south end of the lake.
There is a lovely little stream going through the park, over some rocks, creating small waterfalls. All is quiet here except for the sound of the birds and the water.
An oasis of peace within the city
Black butterfly on an azalea bush
Everything is done in miniature, a kind of "trompe l'oeil" garden design
Helene, you would love the rocks here ! I think they are selected even more carefully than the plants.
And in the far corner, nearest to the lake, a zen garden
I decide that I don’t really want to walk all the way back to City Hall and noticed that there were taxis waiting outside the Museum, so I head back there. Thankfully the map I carry has both English and Japanese because the taxi driver does not appear to be able to tell where I want to go by just looking at the street map. I make it back in plenty of time before my bus is scheduled to leave.
Riding through the streets of Fukuoka this time, on the Blue Line Open Top Bus
We reach the waterfront and the harbour, on the opposite side to the Hakata Port Tower that we see in the distance
Fukuoka / Hakata is located in Hakata Bay, not quite in the East China Sea
Some of my photos are taken through the window, so we have ghost images of the passengers showing, but this one shows a small island in the bay, with what appears to be a causeway, or possibly a boom. It also looks like there is a nice sandy beach on the left side. Who knew !
On to the Blue bus this time and again the guide talks the entire time of the over 1 hour drive, while I listen to the 10 small recorded descriptions on the I-pod. I don’t have a window seat this time, and it is fairly cold today so the entire ride is a bit of a disappointment. It does however confirm that I don’t need to make a special trip back out to the Fukuoka area: Fukuoka Tower, Yahoo Japan Dome (baseball), and the shopping areas. This entire area is new and was all built on reclaimed land. I do get a glimpse of Hakata Bay however and there appears to be a nice sandy beach out there as well.
Fukuoka Yahoo Japan Dome where they play baseball ! Japan's national game.
Again, some imaginative architecture
Crossing the Hii River. There is another bridge next to this one, with a covered pedestrian walkway.
The Fukuoka Tower. There is an observation deck on one of the top floors. Too bad this isn't a "hop-on, hop-off" type of bus.
Marjory: This ones for you; the buildings here also have outside stairwells, but they appear to be slightly nicer than the one you showed us in Moscow.
We drive through a small part of Ohori Park near the castle ruins, not even seeing the lake ! Now really is a shame !
I’m glad to be back at City Hall and this drive to be over. It may be fine for the Japanese tourists who can understand what the guide is saying, but for anyone else, the tour is a bust ! I’ve done a lot of walking today, and now I’m freezing from the bus ride, so I walk quickly back to the hotel for the evening.
Japanese TV isn’t that great. Yes, I watch it even if I can’t understand what they are saying. A lot of talk shows, game shows, shopping networks, a few serials that run every day at the same time. No English channel (BBC, CNN) and when they do run a segment, there is a Japanese over-voice. I’ve managed to catch a few movies that were broadcast in French and a few American movies broadcast in Japanese where I can “kind of” follow the story line. But it is some form of company, even just voices in the background while I work on my computer.
At one point during the evening I hear raised voices outside. Considering I’m on the 10th floor and the windows and walls are almost sound proof, it attracts my attention. Some type of demonstration going on.
It is very orderly however ! ! !
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