Let’s talk about some of the things I learned during my searches.

題外話，來說說研究這次旅行時所學的吧

 

First, what is onsen?

首先，什麼是溫泉

 

The general understanding is it’s hot spring water, whether naturally existing or drawn up through wells. The legal definition is a lot more specific, first of all, the water needs to be higher than 25 degrees C, and must contain specific quantity of minerals. The concentration of the minerals required depends on the type of minerals, some less, some more.

一般認知是熱泉水，無論是自然湧出或是鑽井抽上來的。法律定義上首先泉源溫度必須高於25度，並含有一定濃度的礦物質。各種的礦物所需的濃度不同。

 

So onsen is hot mineral water? Kinda, when used in a bathing context it became a lot murkier. As onsen is such a selling point for hotels and ryokans, all of them try to offer onsens and stick all kind of impressive descriptions before them. Some are just fluff, others misleading.

所以溫泉是熱礦物泉？可這麼說，但用在泡湯上就比較複雜了。溫泉對旅館是一大賣點，很多會在介紹上說的天花亂墜的。許多只是宣染之詞，有些則有點唬人。

 

1. Natural vs Artificial 天然vs人工

First thing to knock out is natural vs artificial onsen. Natural simple enough means the onsen water is drawn from natural sources.

首先要看的是天然和人工溫泉的差異。天然的很簡單，就是從自然環境中的泉源取得水。

 

Artificial onsen water is created from normal water by adding onsen powder, grounded mineral stones and other additives to increase mineral content of water. These are most often used in city baths, or when a place wishes to offer nigori にごり, murky onsen and the natural sources are not concentrated enough or contain the right mix of minerals to have that oxidation colour effect. Whether artificial onsen has same effect as natural onsen is another matter.

人工溫泉則是在普通水中加入湯花，礦物石粉或其他藥劑來增加水中的礦物成分。通常會這樣做的是都市中的泡湯休息處，另外就是想要提供濁湯(にごり)但泉源的礦物濃度不夠或是不含氧化後會變色的礦物。至於人工溫泉有沒有天然溫泉的效益就不知道了。

 

2. Recycled vs Kakenagashi 循環vs掛け流し

 

Recycled is easy enough to understand, think of a swimming pool, the water is sucked down through inlets, filtered and then flows back out. In the recycling process chemicals may also be added to prevent the growth of bacteria and clear out dirty particles. Supposedly technology has advanced enough that the process does not affect the mineral content of the onsen water, won’t go into discussing whether this holds true or not.

循環溫泉很好懂，跟游泳池一樣，水從池中流出後經過過濾後重新流入溫泉池。過濾過程中可能加入一些藥劑殺菌，沉澱排除污漬。宣稱現在的科技可做到過程不損溫泉成分，是否真是如此這樣不知道。

 

Kakenagashi supposedly means letting it flow continuously from the source without cycling, in actuality it has a devious definition, for the sake of sanity for now it’s best to simply think of it is the opposite of recycled. We will go into this in depth later.

掛流理當來說是放著讓水溢流的意思。實際上定義中有很大的空間，目前單純的解釋為非循環的意思，之後會另外詳細解釋。

 

So why recycle at all? The answer is because it takes a heck of a lot more water than one would think to achieve kakenagashi.

為何要循環呢？答案是掛流所需要的水比一般人想像的多太多了。

 

Onsen water needs to be constantly replaced to keep the bath clean and avoid bacteria growth, like legionnaire’s disease which sometimes break out when an onsen bath isn’t kept up to standards.

溫泉水必須持續不斷更換才能保持乾淨避免細菌滋生，許多時有耳聞的legionaires disease就是不及格的溫泉造成的。

 

Just how much water is needed? A general sum of rule is the water of a bath need to be able to be completely replaced every hour (ie, inflow volume in an hour = total volume of bath). Take a decent sized public bath, 3 by 5 metres and 0.6 metres deep, 9 cubic metres = 9000 litres every hour = 150 litres every minute (150L/m). Then double the bath for both genders, 300L/m, suddenly we’re looking at a lot of water. For larger hotels there’s a need for even more baths to prevent crowding, a hotel with 100 rooms is going to need several pair of public baths.

掛流需要多少水呢？原則上一個溫泉池的水必須一小時汰換一次 (一小時流入的水 = 池子的容積)。拿一個還算寬廣的公共池，3公尺長 5公尺寬 0.6公尺深，容積的9立方 = 每小時9000公升 = 每分鐘150公升 (150L/m)。男女池都要所以x2，300L/m，這樣消耗的水量是很可觀的。大一點的旅館避免擁擠必須多幾個池，一個數百房的旅館可能需要數對溫泉池。

 

Although this number seems to be mostly refer to public baths where it’s expected to be in constant use. Private baths or baths that sees less usage may require less water to maintain cleanliness.

不過這數字似乎是針對很多人不斷來往使用的大風呂。私人風呂或比較少人的風呂可能不需那麼多水來維持乾淨。

 

Most places simply don’t have this much onsen water available, the larger a hotel or ryokan the larger its bath needs to be and the less likely it’s going to be able to source enough water for it.

大多地方沒有這麼多的溫泉水可用，何況越大的旅館需要越大的池子，也越難找到足夠的水供應。

 

Larger hotels either recycle their water, or sometimes have one bath that is kakenagashi then recycle the water from that bath to feed other baths. Keep an eye out on a hotel’s onsen description to see which ones are kakenagashi.

大旅館一般會選擇溫泉水回收循環，或有時會有一個池掛流，再將這池的溫泉水去循環注入別的池子。注意旅館對他們溫泉的解說看哪個池是掛流。

 

On a similar note, if the hotel offers onsen baths in their rooms, keep an eye out to see if they specify it is kakenagashi, as private baths uses up way more water per guest. Or worse, sometimes the room’s open air baths aren’t onsen water at all, be sure to double check this, don’t go to a onsen hotel and bath in plain piped water.

同樣的，若旅館房間有溫泉風呂的話，記得確認是否是掛流，因為房間風呂平均每位住客消耗的水比公共池多。或更糟的，有的露天風呂根本不是溫泉水，這點務必要留心
，不要住了溫泉旅館泡的不是溫泉。

 

If the size of baths seems too hard to estimate, another rough rule is 1 litres per minute for every staying guest, this doesn’t take into account private baths, sizes and other factors so don’t rely on it.

如果池子的大小很難估算的話，網上另一個方法是每個住客需每分鐘一公升。不過這沒考慮私人風呂，大小和其他因素，感覺不太牢靠。

 

Now consider that Yufuin, one of the largest onsen in Japan by onsen water amount range about 40~60000L/m. By comparison Hakone, probably the most visited onsen by foreigners, has about ~20000L/m. It is then not difficult to see why it is quite rare for hotels to offer kakenagashi.

現在來看看溫泉地的水量，拿由布院來說，算是日本湧泉量中名列前茅的，每分鐘40~60000L/m. 相較下外國人最愛的箱根大概是20000L/m. 這樣就不難理解為何提供掛流的旅館不多。

 

If look look at Taiwan, the most famous Beitou onsen, has blue and white spring combined output of 6000~8000m3 a day, 6000×1000/24/60 = ~4166~5555L/m, a quarter of Hakone and a tenth of Yufuin. The supply demand situation of onsen water by Beitou’s onsen hotels is clear, and so are the implications.

拿台灣來說，最有名的北投溫泉每天供給青磺白磺一天共6000~8000立方, 6000×1000/24/60 = ~4166~5555L/m，是箱根的1/4，由布院的1/10。北投旅館的溫泉供需狀況和引發現象可想而知。

 

If we’re looking for the kakenagashi experience, focus on hotels and ryokans with less than 30 rooms as they are more likely to have them.

若想要體驗掛流溫泉，注意30房以下的旅館，比較容易會有掛流。

 

Though less common, temperature can also affect whether kakenagashi is possible. Onsen water needs to be about 40 degrees, less in summer slightly more in winter. If the onsen source is not at the right temperature then they will need to be adjusted. Keep in mind the water will have cooled between the source, the holding tank and finally piped to the bath.

另外雖然是比較少見的情況，泉源的溫度也會決定是否能夠掛流。溫泉水泡的溫度最佳是40度左右，夏天冷一點冬天熱一點。若泉源的溫度不對的話就需要先調節。溫泉水溫從泉源到儲存槽到流入溫泉池多少會失去一點熱度。

 

If the source is below desired temperature, either the hotel will let it be as is and warn the guests that the onsen may be too cold (especially in winter), or the hotel will opt to heat it up. But heating up water costs money, if the outflow is let off as in the case of kakenagashi, all that heated water essentially goes to waste and continuously heating up fresh water will cost a fortune, so the hotel is forced to recycle the hot outflow to reduce heating bills.

若泉源太冷，旅館要就是提醒訪客水溫有點低(尤其是冬天時)，要就必須加熱。但把溫泉水加熱需要前，若像掛流那樣溢出的熱水就任由它流去，那些好不容易燒熱的水就浪費掉了，要不斷將冷水加熱，注入，太費錢了負擔不起，唯一的方法就是循環回收熱溫泉水了。

 

On the other end, if the onsen source is too hot, then the water will need to be cooled down before it can be fed into the baths. Cooling down may sound simple, but natural cooling may not cool down water fast enough nor in sufficient quantity. A heat exchanger may be used but that itself requires a huge amount of fresh cold water that may not be cheaply available.

反之，若泉源太熱，那溫泉水就必須先降溫才能注入池子。降溫說很簡單，但讓它自然冷卻太慢了，也無法冷卻足夠的水量。也可以用熱能轉換器來加快冷卻速度，但轉換器需要大量的冷水，要取得也是一大難題。

 

There’s also the option of adding cold water directly, but that can only be done to a small degree before the water stop qualifying as onsen.

還有的選項是將冷水直接加入溫泉水混和降溫，但這樣只能加到某一程度，再多就不被認可為溫泉。

 

If the onsen source is not of the right temperature it may not be possible for the hotel to do kakenagashi.

所以泉源溫度若不對也可能無法提供掛流。

 

Bonus: Kusatsu uses hot water that comes out of their heat exchanger to supply household hot water and pipe it beneath roads to melt snow.

多提一點: 草津溫泉將它們轉換器熱水排出來供給一般住戶的熱水和在路面下鋪設熱水管線在冬天可融雪。

 

3. Gensen Kakenagashi, Gensen 100% Kakenagashi 源泉掛け流し, 源泉100%掛け流し

 

We’ve already determined kakenagashi means no recycling so it’s the best there is, right?

我們已經說明掛流就是非循環，不斷注入新鮮溫泉水了，所以也就是最好的了不是嗎？

 

Well, not quite. If we look at various descriptions onsens hotels use to describe their onsen water, we’ll come some labels like “gensen kakenagashi” (源泉かけ流し), or goodness forbid, “gensen 100% kakenagashi” (源泉100%かけ流し).

並不完全。若研究幾家溫泉旅館對溫泉的敘述，就會看到一些奇怪的名次，如源泉掛流或更奇怪的源泉100%掛流。

 

It’s a way for hotels to promote themselves by sticking more labels to make things seem more impressive.

這是旅館添加形容詞感覺起來比較厲害的廣告手段。

 

Let us look at “gensen” first. Gensen means local source, so “gensen kakenagashi” means directly from local source with no recycling.

先看源泉。源泉的意思是當地溫泉泉源，所以源泉掛流就是直接使用當地溫泉不循環回收。

 

Technically the term gensen is to separate it from indou (引湯) where onsen water is trucked in to a hotel from elsewhere. Hotels and onsen baths in city do this often to provide the busy city dwellers a chance to relax and enjoy onsen bath.

定義上，源泉是用來跟引湯做區分，引湯是指從外地載運來旅館的溫泉水。都市中的旅館或泡湯休息處常用這方式來給繁忙的人們享受溫泉的機會。

 

Sometimes onsen hotels secretly resort to this too when they’re short and desperate for more onsen water, like what happened in Arima (有馬温泉) a few years ago, causing quite a scandal.

有時候溫泉旅館在自己源泉的水不夠用，急需溫泉水的時候也會偷用引湯運水來魚目混珠，如有馬温泉幾年前就鬧過這樣的醜聞。

 

Except in the case of kakenagashi this is largely a redundant qualifier since no one is going to be capable of trucking in that much water to allow it to flow continuously without recycling. Adding gensen before kakenagashi is just fluff.

但在掛流上源泉其實有點多餘，因為沒有人有辦法運那麼多的水來掛流而不回收。所以掛流前加源泉基本上是加好聽的。

 

Next let’s see about that 100%. The first thought would be, it means 100% directly from the source without treating it. And that would be correct***. Yes, that’s what it should mean but with several fine prints.

再看100%。第一個想到的是這意思是百分百從泉源導入沒有多餘的處理。這是正解***。對，意思該是這樣但有許多備註。

 

There is some vagueness around for what qualifies for 100%. The gensen kakenagashi association considers an onsen to be 100% given the “added amount of water for purpose of adjusting temperature does not affect quality of onsen water”. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

怎樣算100%定義有些模糊。掛流協會對溫泉是否是100%的規範是『在不影響泉值的狀況下加水冷卻是可以的』。¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

The onsen association considers 100% to have no added water but heating is allowed. (As mentioned heating is a rare case anyway due to cost involved).

溫泉協會對100%的認知是不能加水但加熱可以 (前面提過加熱掛流本來就不多，沒多大影響)

 

For the Japanese Fair Trade Commission, they stipulates that 100% must be 100% with no water or heating. But we can still see some advertising as 100% with exception in footnotes, such as “100% gensen kakenagashi*. *Sometimes water may be added for cooling”. 

日本公正交易委員會認定100%必須是100%不加水或加熱。但有時還是可見到這樣的廣告-源泉100%掛流*。*有時為冷卻會加水。

 

If that is all getting very confusing, it is, especially when a hotel’s website may not be very clear or even mention what kind of onsen water it offers, sometimes they put that description in the room’s booking plans, othertimes it might even be in the description of a photo in their gallery.

這些都把人弄糊塗了，尤其是旅館網頁上未必會標明，有的連提都不提。有時會放在訂房時方案的敘述中。有時又可能在圖片下面的敘述中。

 

There is a quick way to help find out though. That’s Jalan. Jalan is quite clear in how hotels should label their onsen. Unfortunately whether a hotel follow the guidelines is another matter, I find it to be correct most of the time at least.

不過還是有可以協助的管道。Jalan。Jalan訂房網對旅館在溫泉上該用什麼標籤有清楚的指示。當然了旅館是否遵循是另一回事，目前看起來是還算準確。

 

Bonus: Jalan is very detailed about everything about its listings. One of the other detail which I love is it lists the number of rooms and the number of public baths a place has, I use it a lot to get a feel for how big a ryokan is. Jalan for info of a hotel, Rakuten for pretty pictures of a hotel.

另一提: Jalan對旅館細節要求很詳細。我很喜歡他會要求旅館寫出一共有幾個房間
，幾個公共池。我常用這些資訊來判斷旅館的大小。用Jalan收集資訊，用樂天看漂亮相片。

 

On Jalan there is a field showing what onsen a hotel has. It goes in the format of <Onsen Name> (Qualifier) [Kakenagashi tag if any]

Jalan有一個表格專門顯示旅館的溫泉。格式是<溫泉名>(標籤)「若有的話掛流圖示」

 

The qualifier can be:

100% natural (no added water, no heating)

Added water

Heating

Recycled

The last 3 can be combined, eg “Recycled, added water”.

 

標籤有

100%天然溫泉 (不加水加熱)

加水

加熱

循環

後三項可合併，如『循環，加水』

 

A hotel gets the kakenagashi label as long as it does not recycle (adding water or heating is allowed, but that in theory disqualify them from 100% natural). The hotel may add in footnote explaining they’re 100% most of the time and when water would be added.

旅館只要不循環就可貼掛流圖示，但加水加熱嚴格上會失去100%天然溫泉的資格。在備註欄旅館可能會強調大多時候是100%掛流但有時會加水。

 

4. Onsen analysis certificate 溫泉分析書

 

Every hotel is supposed to put up in the bath area a certificate of their onsen source showing their mineral breakdowns and certifying they are indeed using onsen water. Though not required, many certificate will also indicate the flow rate of the onsen source so we can learn about the L/m this way. We can also learn about the onsen sources’ temperature (which may give some indication whether it’ suitable for bathing in winter, summer), and the kind of onsen water it is, whether strong or weak, scent, acidic or alkaline. For first time onsen bathers it’s not recommended that they try out strong acidic (such as some in Kusatsu) as they may cause skin agitation.

每個旅館規定該在風呂附近貼出溫泉分析書，證明他們用的是真正的溫泉和列出溫泉的成分
。雖然不是一定會有，有些溫泉分析書會標出溫泉的水量，可得知L/m。同時也可得知溫泉的溫度(可大略判斷是否適合冬天或夏天泡)，還有是那種溫泉，強或弱，酸或鹼。若是第一次泡溫泉的人不建議泡強酸泉 (如草津)，皮膚可能會過敏。

 

Budget 花費

Keep in mind there’s a saving of 18000Y from the accommodation coupons.

記得有省18000Y的住宿折價卷

Usually my trip’s breakdown sees more equal share of accommodation and transport, maybe 40-30 split. This time because of the double onsen plus exorbitant Hakata saturday price, accommodation takes up the vast majority of cost.

一般我出遊時住宿和交通比較接近，可能比例是40-30。
這次由於兩晚溫泉+博多超貴的星期六住宿，住宿費占了花費的絕大部分。

 

Finding Accomodation 找住宿

 

The review scores on Rakuten and Jalan are a good indication for a place’s quality. It’s important to take note of the scoring breakdowns. Rakuten has location as one of its points which can drag down a place’s score, though location may not factor much into your specific needs. For example Ryu no Hige gets a lower score on Rakuten due to it being further from Yufuin station.

樂天和Jalan的評分算是挺準確的。要注意細項分析，比如說樂天評分中有地點這一項有可能會拖累總分，但你可能並不介意地點。如龍之鬍鬚因為離由布院車站遠一點，在樂天的分數較低。

 

Next is to glance over the reviews to get an indication of what kind of guests the places tends to get as this may affect a place’s review. For example comparing Ryu no Hige and Hozantei, it is clear that Hozantei gets much more tourists (people visiting Kurokawa for first time) while Ryu no Hige gets much more vacationers (people visiting to get out of the city). Similar higher vacationer reviews can be seen in some other ryokans in Yufuin too.

再來是要看評論來了解住這裡的大多是怎樣的訪客。拿龍之鬍鬚和帆山亭來說，帆山亭明顯有比多的觀光客 (第一次來黑川的人)，而龍之鬍鬚中就有較多渡假的人 (放假想遠離都市的人)。由布院有幾間旅館也同樣有比較多渡假的人。

 

Vacationers tend to be repeaters to an area and can be more critical in their scoring, while tourists (especially foreign tourists *cough* Bettei Itsuki *cough*) are much more easily impressed.

渡假的人常常到這地方多次，在評論上比較嚴格。而觀光客(尤其是外國觀光客 *cough* 別邸 樹)比較容易被滿足。

 

Japanese tended to be quite detailed in their reviews and a lot of information can be glimpsed if one is willing to spend the time.

日本人在評論中挺詳細的，只要願意花時間可以從中發現許多關於旅館的資訊。

 

Now a very important note is to pay attention to the reviews and see what plans and rooms the person stayed at. Sometimes a place has premium and lesser class rooms, and the level of services provided can be vastly different. This is very apparent in Gettouan where the highest reviews often come from their premium rooms and the standard rooms yields much higher ratio of complaints.

很重要的一點是要注意評論者住的是那個房間，那個方案。常常一個地方有特別房和較普通的房間，兩者間提供的品質可能有很大差異。如月燈庵，最高分的評論通常是住高級別館的，而普通房的負評比例較高。

 

Various rankings and recommendations floating around the web are best ignored, they’re either based on some popularity ranking (which means the popular stays popular) or they’re just regurgitated information pushed out for ad clicks. If I had followed them I would never have found Ryu no Hige as the place is basically off the maps.

網路上的推薦和排名不要管比較好，很多都只是名氣排名 (有名氣的就持續有名氣)或是隨便翻別人的資料寫寫賺點頁率廣告費的。若聽他們的話就不會找到像龍之鬍鬚這種沒名氣的旅館。

 

The accommodation choices this time were quite good picks, but I think if I had to choose again I would pick something other than Hozantei.

這次旅館選擇不錯，但若要重選的話可能在黑川會選帆山亭之外的旅館。

 

Rental Car 租車

 

Driving in Japan is a lot easier than thought. I’m likely add rental as an option while planning trips in future.

日本租車比想像中簡單。未來在計畫旅行時會加入租車這考量。

 

Rental vs Train/Bus 租車vs電車巴士

Cost of rental this time is about ~9.8k per person (27k for 48 hours, pick up at Hakata drop off at Yufuin, plus 2.4k tolls), plus ~4k for train back to Hakata from Yufuin.

Compared to the bus. Hakata to Kurokawa is 3090Y, Kurokawa to Yufuin is 1750Y, for total of 4840.

For trains. A north Kyushu pass 3 day is 8500Y (which can’t go to Kurokawa), but let’s suppose we did a different trip and went to Kumamoto and Yufuin instead. This will also cover the train back to Hakata but won’t allow booking beforehand.

So rental car cost about twice as much as buses and 1.5x train.

這回租車是大約一人9.8k (租車48小時，博多取到由布院還，加2.4k過路費)。還有另外由布院回博多的車票~4k。
若搭巴士。博多到黑川溫泉是3090Y，黑川到由布院1750Y 總共4840Y。一樣回博多火車錢另付。

火車的話。北九州3日8500Y(不能到黑川但假設改去熊本和由部院)。這也包含由布院之森的錢但無法預先網路訂票。

租車大概比巴士貴一倍，貴火車1.5x。

 

Overall

 

This is without doubt my best trip so far. About 90% went according to plans. I still get problems with exploring an area as I often forget places I could go to, both in Yufuin and in Tenjin.

這次無庸置疑是目前安排最好的一次，大概90%都在計畫之中。在探索一個地點時還是很容易忘記可去的景點，如在由布院和天神時。

 

Part of the problem with being an early person, was that you felt compelled to make something out of the early hours. Our flight was at 12, we had to get to the airport by 10, so check out at 9:30 and take a taxi there. We woke up at around 6, technically we had about 3 hours, except nothing was open at this hour.

習慣早起也有他的問題，就是總覺一大早還是該做點什麼。我們的飛機是中午12點，10點需到機場，所以9:30要退房去搭計程車。我們醒來時大約6點，嚴格說有3個小時可利用，只是這時候什麼都還沒開。

 

Breakfast first though. The cafe we went to yesterday only opens at 7 so we were too early even for it. Thankfully there’s a McDonald underneath Hakata station (west side B1).

先吃早餐。昨天去的咖啡店要7點才開所以我們今天起的實在是太早了。幸好博多車站有麥當勞(西側B1)。

While biting into the McMuffin I thought about where to go next. Last time we went to the Ohori Park but due to time largely missed the castle ruins. That was one option, however since we weren’t as early as last time we might only get only an hour there before needing to turn back, not sure if that would be enough to walk all the way around the ruins.

邊吃滿福飽邊想著接下來該去哪。上回我們去大濠公園因時間關係沒能去看城跡。這是一個選項，但這回起的沒上次早，到那裡後可能只有一個小時可逛，不確定夠不夠繞福岡城跡一圈。

 

The other remaining choice was going to Gion and check out some of the temples there. Since we were already on the west side it wasn’t a long walk, maybe just 10 minutes to there.

另外一選項是去祇園看看那裡的佛寺。我們已經在車站西側了，走過去不會太遠，大概10分鐘吧。

 

There was an underground pedestrian/bike parking passage connecting Hakata to Gion station. Everytime I see these huge underground bike storages in Japan I feel a little sad that Taiwan or Australia does not have anything similar. It’s a chicken and egg problem. Japan had an existing bike culture so when they built infrastructures they took them into account, building in bike storages and ramps on the side of stairs for pushing bikes up/down, encouraging the continued use of bicycles. While in Taiwan and Australia bikes weren’t considered a means of transport and became always an afterthought (not to mention Australia’s stupid no bikes on sidewalk rule), the infrastructures were not built to be bike friendly and as result very few people use bikes. I very much think Japan’s bike to station, train to work/school to be the ideal transportation mix. Keeps cars off the roads and keep the shops concentrated around stations.

祇園站和博多站之間有一個地下行人道/自行車停車場。每次在日本看到這些大型地下自行車收納空間就會很感慨，希望台灣或澳洲也有類似的公共建設。雞生蛋的問題。日本一開始就有騎自行車的文化，在建設時就會納入考量，加入停車空間和在樓梯側加上牽車斜坡，鼓勵民眾持續利用自行車。但台灣和澳洲自行車並不被當作代步工具，建設上總是次要考量(更不用說澳洲禁止在人行道上騎車的蠢法規)，這樣騎車不方便就更沒人要騎車了。覺得日本這樣騎車到車站，搭車上班上學的交通方式最好了，減低汽車數量也同時把商店集中到車站附近。

 

Anyway, Gion was famous for a series of buddhist temples Touchouji (東長寺), Joutenji(承天寺), Shofukuji (聖福寺). In particular Touchouji has one of Japan’s largest wooden seated buddha statues.

總之，祇園有名在這裡的許多佛寺，如東長寺，承天寺，聖福寺。其中東長寺最有名，擁有日本最大的木製坐姿佛像之一。

 

It was winter and still quite dark when we got there. The temples unknown to me only opened at 9, we could not enter to see the buddha statue and were only able to have a look around the courtyard.

現在是冬天，到的時候天還沒大亮。沒想到佛寺要9點才開，沒辦法進去看佛像，只能在外面看一看。

Next time I have to come to Fukuoka, either I’m taking a later flight home or I’m going to stay out late and wake up later.

下次來福岡的話，要就是搭晚一班飛機，不然乾脆晚點睡晚點起來算了。

 

We returned, brushed up back at the hotel and headed back out separately to do our own shopping in Hakata station. At least Deitos ground floor where all most of the gift shops were opened very early (makes sense, they were selling to travellers who might need to catch the early train after all).

回旅館梳洗完後各自去車站逛街買要的東西。至少Deitos的伴手禮街很早就開了 (要賣給趕早車的旅客)。

An accident happened when I forgot my wallet back at the Deitos shops while buying sweet cakes. Thankfully the staff stored it for safekeeping and I was able to get it back no problem.

我在Deitos買東西時遺忘了皮夾，在買飲料時才發覺連忙跑回去找，幸好櫃檯小姐有收起來保管，虛驚一場。

 

Instead of calling a taxi from the hotel we walked to the station instead, this way we didn’t need to wait for the taxi to show up. We got to the airport just before 10 (taxi was 1370Y, about the same as last time). Thankfully we showed up early, we knew there was going to be a crowd from our experience last time but this time the line was at least twice as long. We were the second in line to check in and when we finished, the queue had circled all the way around the counter area. The falling yen had really given a boost to the number of Taiwanese coming to Japan.

我們不是在旅館較計程車，而是走到車站，覺得這樣不用等車還比較快。到機場10點 (車前1370Y，跟上回差不多)。幸好找來了，上回搭機就知道人不少，但這回排隊的人至少比上回多一倍。我們是第二個辦理登機的，辦好時人龍已經繞整個櫃檯區一整圈。日圓貶值可吸引了不少台灣人來日本。

 

The Fukuoka airport had undergone some changes to streamline the souvenir checkout (totally needed), and we bought some more sweets and things here. The sweet cake from Yufuin had an expiry of only 2 weeks, which meant I couldn’t bring it back to Australia, some other gifts were needed. I ended up with a few boxes of the famous Hakata chicken cakes (not the large 3D ones, just flat ones cut in the shape of little chickens).

福岡機場對伴手禮店有重新規劃過，調整結帳的動線 (上回就需要了)。由布院的甜點保存期限只有2星期，沒辦法帶回澳洲，所以在這裡另外買了些糕餅。博多有名的小雞蛋糕，但買的不是那個一整隻的立體小雞，而是扁的切成小雞形狀的)。

Dad got a bowl of udon from the small eatery. Nothing fancy, tastes average. At least they had hot food and not just cold sandwiches or rice balls. They could do with a real cafe though.

老爸從小吃店買了一碗烏龍麵。沒什麼特別的，味道普通。至少還有熱食而不是只有三明治或飯糰。不過這機場真該考慮開間真正的咖啡店。

Mom wanted to use up the coins so she sought to buy a can of coffee from the vending. She got a bit confused by the labelling and bought a cold can instead of a hot can (I wish Australia vending also sold hot can coffees, wait actually, I’d settle for them selling canned coffee that doesn’t taste like just sugar and artificial flavouring).

老媽想從販賣機買罐咖啡把剩下的零錢用一用。不過沒看懂標示，原本想買熱的結果按到冷的了。(若是澳洲販賣機也賣熱咖啡就好了，不對，先要求他們賣喝起來不是光只有糖和香料的咖啡吧)

 

Food on EVA air tasted just as bad as the flight to Fukuoka. At least there’s ice cream.

回程時機上吃的跟來時一樣爛。算了，至少還有冰淇淋。

 

I didn’t book breakfast with our rooms, Richmond Hotel didn’t have buffet breakfasts, just 1000Y Japanese or western meal sets. Figured any cafe would be a cheaper.

這次訂房沒有附早餐。Richmond Hotel沒有自助式早餐，而是1000Y的日式或西式套餐。想想隨便一家咖啡館都會比較便宜吧。

 

Finding breakfast was always a little annoying in Japan (for those that wakes up early like us), the Japanese were very used to a toast or bread plus coffee combo, or udons. Me and my parents preferred something a little more filling, usually coming down to McDonalds  and cafes (Doutor which I have a special relationship with). The KITTE B1 had a few restaurants that also served breakfasts but they mostly open at 7:30. At close to 7 the only choices were cafes, which there were several around Hakata station. We first checkout the one in nearby Deitos, the menu looked a little thin. Then the ones in the main station itself. Seattle coffee, just off the side of the main thoroughfare, looked decent with good sandwiches.

在日本早餐總是件煩人事 (對我們這種早起的人來說)。日本人很習慣早餐簡單吃個吐司或麵包加咖啡，或烏龍麵。我和爸媽喜歡吃的稍微飽一點，通常能選的就只有麥當勞或咖啡館 (尤其是偏愛的Doutor)。KITTE B1有幾家餐廳早上也有營業賣早餐，但大多要7:30才開。近七點時的唯一選項就只有咖啡館了，博多車站附近有不少。第一家附近Deitos那間感覺菜單有點少。接著看車站內的那幾家。就在主通道旁的Seattle Coffee看起來三明治不錯。

 

The greeter at the door was very friendly and helpful and obviously had plenty of experience with foreigners. He pointed us to find a table first before we had decided on what to order, later when the croissant came cold he noticed us discussing over it and actively asked if we would like to have it heated. The price was a little higher than Doutor, at same time the portions were bigger and better. Dad still went for seconds eitherway.

在門口的店員相當友善，似乎很習慣招呼幫忙外國人。他指引我們在決定點什麼前先找位子坐，之後當可鬆端來是冷的時，大概注意到我們對可鬆指指點點，主動來詢問是否需要幫忙加熱。價錢比Doutor貴一點點，份量和味道是比較好。不過老爸還是又多點了一份。

Day 4 was an extra day that had not been set in stone.

第四天算是多的，沒有預先決定要去哪。

 

Originally after the railway to Aso was cut, the Aso Boy tourist train had been diverted to run to Mojiko, so it made sense to go to Mojiko/Shimonoseki. Aso Boy was a train designed with a black and white puppy theme and kid friendly, with ball pools, play areas and special parent-child seatings. I figured my parents might want to expience it and maybe consider taking my nephews on it in the future.

原本阿蘇鐵路中斷後，阿蘇男孩觀光列車被調去跑門司港，所以想乾脆就順便去門司港下關。阿蘇男孩是用黑白小狗為主題的觀光列車，適合小孩，車上有球池，遊戲區和特別設計的親子座位。我想讓爸媽體驗一次看會不會想以後帶我姪子們來。

As a side note, it’s faster to take the Shinkansen from Hakata to Kokura then transfer to a local train to Mojiko. The Hakata to Kokura section sees special fare rates (JR West runs it like a commuter segment to compete against JR Kyushu) and non-reserved seats are not much more expensive than the local line express, but can be up to 30 minutes faster.

順帶一提，去門司港搭新幹線到小倉後再轉區間車去會比搭一般特急快。博多到小倉的新幹線票價有特別優惠 (JR西日本把這段當通勤在跑，跟JR九州競爭)，自由席不會比一般特急貴多少，但最多可省上30分鐘。

 

Then for December the Aso Boy train was moved to run to the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki (which I had no interest in going), this removed a major incentive for going to Mojiko. Thus it was thought we might instead go to Dazaifu and return earlier in the day to have a look around Tenjin.

然後阿蘇男孩12月被調去跑長崎的豪斯登堡(沒興趣去)，這樣就少了去門司港的一大誘因。於是想想可能去太宰府就好了，完後早點回天神逛逛。

 

We got a Fukuoka Tourist Pass from the Hakata station information centre. The pass came in two versions, one which included all metro and buses in centre of Fukuoka (820Y) and a wide pass version that also included the Nishitetsu rail to Dazaifu (1340Y). It cost a little more than a regular Dazaifu round trip from Hakata but it saved buying tickets each time, plus there was a chance of us using the metro again later in the day, the pass will then be cheaper.

從博多車站的服務處買了福岡一日卷。一日卷有兩種，一種是包含所有捷運和市區巴士(820Y)，另一廣域版還加上到太宰府的西鐵(1340Y)。比來回太宰府貴一點，但省了每一段買車票，加上晚上有可能再去天神，那樣的話一日卷就算起來有便宜到。

 

To get to Dazaifu from Hakata required going to Tenjin first, walk to the Nishitetsu station, then depending on whether there was a direct service to Dazaifu, potentially another transfer at Futsukaichi. Be careful that sometimes it can be faster to go to Futsukaichi and transfer there anyway as it might be an extra limited express. There is a direct bus from Hakata but it is not covered by the pass and is subject to road traffic.

從博多到大宰府必須先到天神，走到西鐵站後視情況可能有直達太宰府的車，不然要在二日市再轉一次。要留意若是特快車可能先到二日市再轉會比等直達車快。從博多也有直達太宰府的巴士但一日卷並不包含，也需看交通狀況。

Dazaifu is dominated by the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, like a confucian temple equivalent for chinese. The shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, who was a great scholar and poet back in the Heian period. Originally a member of the court, he was eventually demoted to be a minor official in far away Dazaifu where he died a lonely death. In one of his poems he lamented that he would never see the beloved plum tree in his Kyoto residence. Legend has it that the plum tree loved her master so much it eventually flew to Dazaifu.

太宰府的核心為太宰府天滿宮，類似華人的孔廟。神社祭祀的是菅原道真，平安時代(~900年)一位廣學多聞的大詩人。他原本是朝中大臣，遭到排擠被降為個芝麻小官，發放到遙遠的太宰府，孤獨的度過餘生。在一首詩中他嘆道再也見不到京都家中的梅樹了。傳說梅樹因為對主人的愛慕，有一天飛到了太宰府與他相會。

Stories aside, because of veneration for the man’s wisdom and intellect, it became customary for students looking to get good grades or others looking to become accomplished to come and pay respect at the shrine. The place becomes especially busy before the university or highschool entrance exams kick off.

撇開故事不談，人們因為尊敬菅原的智慧和才華奉他為神，要聯考的學生或想闖出一番事業的人都會來神社求保佑。在大學或高中入學考試前來這裡的人特別多。

 

Initially we detoured to the nearby Komyozenji temple known for its zen rock gardens, sadly the temple grounds were closed, probably because it was the off seasons and they wanted to do maintenance. No big loss as the temple wasn’t far from the main street anyway.

到太宰府後我們先去附近的光明善寺和他有名的枯山水禪園，不巧的寺院主殿沒有開，大概想入冬淡季維修吧。好在寺院和表參道不遠，沒多走什麼路。

The main street before the shrine is only about 200 metres long, yet there are over 20 shops selling umegae-mochi, meaning plum stick cake. They are grilled rice cakes filled with red beans with little to do with plums outside the plum flower imprint on them. The origin of the cake is not known, all relates to Michizane in some way.

參道只有兩百公尺左右，卻有超過20家梅枝餅店。純粹烤紅豆餅，除了餅上頭壓的梅花外與梅樹無關。餅的來由不可考了，但故事都與菅原有關。

Initially I mistook Kanoya for the popular mochi shop Kasa no Ya, later after we have visited the main shrine we would line up at Kasa no Ya. The one from Kasa no Ya was grilled a little better but the filling much too sweet, felt the one from Kanoya was better to be honest.

一開始我把かのや和名店かさの屋弄混了，不過後來有去かさの屋排隊補吃。かさの屋烤的火候就好，餡有點太甜，真要說可能還喜歡弄錯的かのや多一點。

Amongst the many shops on the main street, a unsuspecting major attraction was the Starbucks. Designed by award winning architect using wood and other natural materials to create a space combining both nature and tradition. The wall and ceiling consisted of criss cross of wooden beams that narrowed in the middle and broaded on either ends, it made the place seemed much longer than it really was. A queue for coffee was quickly building up, we managed to get our coffee and find a table before the crowd showed up and extended the line well outside the shop.

在參道玲瑯滿目的商店中，可能一般不會想到其中的熱門景點會是家星巴克。由名建築師設計，利用木頭和其他自然材料，建構出大自然和傳統交織的空間。牆面和天花板裝置有一根根木頭交錯，中間稍窄兩頭較寬，讓店內有看起來比實際上深長的錯覺。買咖啡的隊伍越來越長了，我們連忙進入買了咖啡後找地方坐下，後頭的隊伍已排到店外了。

 

There was also a Totoro shop here (the other in Yufuin). The shelves lined with plushies and toys from the Totoro anime by Studio Ghibli. I contemplated getting a white teardrop creature plushie, they weren’t too expensive (by tourist goods standards), but I already had a shelf full of Cinnamorolls and only in recent years have I just managed to stop them multiplying. I ended up buying a CD of Studio Ghibli musics performed in Japanese instruments.

這裡也有一家豆豆龍(另一家在由布院)。架上滿是宮崎駿豆豆龍動漫的娃娃和玩具。我考慮是否買隻小白色豆豆龍，以賣觀光客的價位不算太貴，但我已經有一窩肉桂狗了，近幾年才好不容易停止繁殖，再開一窩似乎不太妙。最後決定買一張日本傳統樂器演奏的宮崎駿音樂集。

While I was mulling over Totoros my parents had become interested in a fish roe shop across the street that promoted products that did not require refrigeration. They wanted to buy some but after asking the staff, found out the ones they liked still required refrigerated.

當我在為豆豆龍煩惱時爸媽也在對街標榜不用冷藏的明太子店逛著。他們對其中一罐有興趣但詢問過店員後才知道他們覺得好吃的剛好是需要冷藏的。

Beyond the first torii is a statue of an ox. It’s said if you touched its head fortune will rub off on you. There was a queue so I didn’t join in.

第一個鳥居後有一隻銅牛。若摸牠頭就能獲得福氣。摸牛的人好多，懶得加入。

Then in the gardens before the main shrine area, there was a performer with a trained monkey. We got there in time to catch the monkey climb a pole and slide around on skates.

在神社主院前的花園裡有個人和他的訓練的猴子在表演。我們到時剛好看到猴子爬竿，還有穿輪鞋滑行。

The main ground of the shrine is enclosed behind a large gate, the courtyard within was packed with people waiting for their chance to go up and pray at the shrine. Was it near exam time? I’m not sure.

神社主殿圈繞在牆內，通過門的廣場上滿是人，等著輪他們上前參拜。快到大考了嗎？不太確定。

One interesting thing was that the guardians of the gate looked to be none other than Michizane himself.

有意思一點是大門兩旁的守門神看似正是菅原自己。

 

Me and my parents split up once more, I wanted to check out the Kyushu Museum which was for the most part overshadowed by the shrine and ignored by most. My parents headed back to Tenjin for lunch on their own. The transfers were straightforward and they had been to Tenjin a few times now.

之後我們再次各自行動，我想去看看鎮上存在感薄弱的九州博物館，爸媽則回天神吃午餐。轉車難度不大，天神地下街他們也去過一兩次了不至於迷路。

The Kyushu Museum laid off the other side of Tenmangu (turn right at the Tenmangu info centre), do not walk from Komyozenji Temple as that side involved a very steep climb up the stairs. From the Tenmangu you go up a flight of escalators then through a tunnel with people movers.

去九州博物館記得要從天滿宮那側去(天滿宮正殿前服務處右轉)，不要從光明善寺那側去，會需要爬很多階樓梯。從天滿宮那上一個手扶梯，過一個有行人輸送帶的隧道就可到博物館。

The Kyushu Museum focused on exhibitions about the cultural transmission between Japan and the rest of Asia, showing excavated artifacts from the Jomon periods onwards, potteries, figurines, arts, these could be compared to other artifacts of similar periods from the rest of asia, showing clear influences.

九州博物館的常設展示以日本和亞洲之間的文化交流，從縄文時代開始展出各類陶瓷，塑像，藝術品，這些展示物跟其他亞洲同時期的物件互相比較，明顯點出彼此之間的相似處。

No photos allowed inside.

裡面不准拍照所以沒相片。

 

The museum had a rectangular main hall which presented a brief walk through history, then there were side rooms that featured more detailed explanations if one was interested in learning more. Some covered artifact restoration methods, others artifact replica making, expanded period features focusing on the routes which cultures were exchanged with the mainland.

博物館有一個長方形的主廳，如走入時光隧道簡單敘述各朝代文化的主要影響，圍繞主廳的是許多小房間提供細節給有興趣進一步了解的訪客。有些解釋古物修復方法，複製，還有針對大陸間文化傳播的路徑。

 

Several historic periods were focused on in particularly. Jomon and pre-written history periods where Japan had few influences from the outside world. Big eyed figurines that had come to represent the period, flame shaped pottery and other ornaments.

大致可分為幾段歷史時期。縄文和古時代，日本基本上還是海上孤島，鮮少受外界影響。有這時期代表性的巨眼塑像，還有火焰型陶器和其他裝飾物。

 

The influx of Buddhism which transformed Japanese religious and societal order. There were many buddhist statues and pagodas. There was a very interested column with hundreds of buddhas carved on it, each with his hands held up in a slightly different pose, when one’s gaze moved between them it seemed the buddhas’s hands waved and beckoned.

佛教的輸入改變了日本的信仰和社會結構。有許多佛像和佛塔。其中有一根很有意思的石柱，上頭刻有上百佛陀，每個佛的手勢都不同，當視線在之間移動時看起來好似每個佛的手都在擺動招手。

 

The Heian periods trade with China(Tang Dynasty), where envoys were sent on trade missions. On display were examples of the goods that the ships would carry, silk and silver to china, and incense, books, medicines back to Japan. Replicas were available for one to get a first hand feel for what the texture of the clothes and scent of incenses were like.

平安時代與中國(唐)貿易交流繁多，為通商派任過許多遣唐使。銀和綢布賣去中國，運回香，書籍和藥物。展示中陳列了當時船上會載運的貨物樣品，可親身檢視看看這些衣物的質感和香的味道。

 

In the mongol invasions Fukuoka played centre stage, the mongol forces landed on the shores near Hakata while the defences were mounted from Dazaifu, then the area’s political centre. The main exhibited piece was an urn full of coins recovered from the seabed, it was probably carried upon the ship of a high Mongol official when it sunk off the coast. Outside the exhibition hall, a small scale model of the excavated earthen works that formed part of the forward defences of the area could be found on display.

在蒙古侵日中福岡可是首當其衝，蒙古軍在博多附近登陸，另一邊則以太宰府，當時地區的政治中心，為防衛中心。主要展示的是一個海底撈出來的巨大陶罐，裡頭裝滿銅錢，推測當時是由艘高級蒙古官員的船所載運，在外海遇難沈沒。在展示廳外還有一小模型，描述附近挖掘出的土牆，曾構成太宰府邊境防衛的一環。

 

Then the influence of Ming ceramics on Japanese crafts. There were also forged seals of the Kyoto and Korean courts, created by pirates and smugglers in the Kyushu areas to conduct illicit businesses in the area.

明朝的陶瓷對日本的陶藝上有著顯著影響。另外由於明朝的禁海令，日本變成需通過朝鮮與中國交流，於是九州的海盜和走私商人仿製了京都和朝鮮的官印，好在兩國間遊走。

 

The whole place took about an hour and a half to browse through at a semi-detailed pace. It is a shame the place is not more popular as the items displayed and the way they were exhibited told a very interesting story about the back and forth between the island and the continent.

整個地方有點細看的逛需要大概一個半小時。很可惜這地方不太熱門，裡頭的展示物和講解方式所敘說的島和大陸間來往故事還挺有趣的。

 

On the way back to Tenjin I end up on the Tabito tourist train. Lucky.

回天神時剛好坐到旅人號車，運氣不錯。

I thus return to Tenjin around 1:30. On the train back I notice that the popular Cannon Ramen is just south the Nishitetsu station. Since it was past lunchtime I might be able to avoid the queues.

回到天神大約是1:30. 在車上查資料時我發覺有名的大砲拉麵就在西鐵站附近。已經過午餐時間了，應該不至於需排隊吧。

 

To my surprise there was still a queue when I got there. About 5 people ahead of me and another 10 quickly showed up behind. Sigh, ah well, just this once.

結果還是需要等。在我前面大約有5人，在我開始排之後又加入有10人。唉，就這一次吧。

 

The ramen came with the eggs and chashu meat presented in a smiley face. It’s a little thicker than the usual Hakata ramen, rich in flavour and the noodle had just the right firmness. It’s good, but if there were a longer queue I wouldn’t be amiss if I skipped the place. The only ramen I genuinely crave remains the milk curry ramen in Aomori.

服務員端上拉麵，上頭用肉和蛋擺成一個笑臉。比一般的博多拉麵再濃一點，味道濃郁，麵的硬度剛剛好。算不錯啦，但若是排隊再長一點我真不吃也不至於會後悔。會讓我念念不忘的只有青森的牛奶咖哩拉麵。

 

The afternoon was filled with a quick look around Tenjin. I figured I would search out Animate and see if they might have some Your Name (Kimi no Na Wa) goods on sale.

下午隨便天神逛逛。想說去安利美特看看有沒有『你的名字』的周邊可買。

 

To my dismay, and to relief of my wallet, there’s not much goods yet and there was only a small section for it. I left empty handed. The movie was a surprise hit, there probably weren’t many arranged beforehand and it took time for the goods companies to get on aboard and put out something.

不幸的，對錢包是大幸，周邊不多，『你的名字』只擺一小區。我兩手空空的離開了。這電影上映前並不被看好，大概沒幾個廠商有準備周邊，現在要趕工設計，推出，需要些時間。

 

Tenjin was Fukuoka’s prime shopping district, though its shine had taken a dent since Hakata station developed into a sprawling mega department store, it still reigned as the king of glittery brands and trendy restaurants. Outside of Tokyo I had not seen such a high concentration of department stores all in such close proximity.

天神是福岡的黃金地帶，雖然來近年博多車站重整成一大百貨城，天神在強烈競爭下稍失光彩，依然坐擁各家名牌商店，流行美食餐廳。在東京外我還沒看過這麼密集的百貨數量。

After getting back to the hotel to meet up with my parents, who had taken an afternoon nap. We head out for dinner.

回到旅館，等爸媽睡過午覺，晚點再一起去吃晚餐。

 

This time we went to KITTE B1 as I had intended the night before. I had my eyes set on the curry restaurant right by the entrance, dad took a look and suggested we check out all options first.

這回我們到原本昨晚要來的KITTE B1。我看上了入口的一家咖哩店，老爸看了一眼後說先全部看完再說吧。

And so we discover this Nagasaki champon noodle place, whose noodles were topped with a huge amount of vegetables. One of its dish was titled all the vegetables you need for the day. (The curry place had a similar dish too). Convinced by the amount of vegetables piled on in the plastic food sample in the display, we enter and find a seat in the still largely empty restaurant. Japanese dinner prime time seemed to be not till 7 so it was still early.

若非這樣也不會發覺這家長崎什錦麵店，他的麵上頭配上小山般的蔬菜。其中一道號稱能滿足一天所需的所有蔬菜量 (咖哩店其實也有類似的一天蔬菜料理)。我們被餐點模型上堆得滿滿的蔬菜說服了，進去找了位子坐下。

 

The noodle suited our family’s tastes best out of all the restaurants I’d had in Japan so far. It wasn’t too salty, plenty of vegetables mixed with wood ear mushrooms, it was satisfying to have a meal that was light on the tastebuds and stomach. Due to its position and history of trade, Nagasaki cuisine had more chinese influence than any other places in Japanese main islands, might have contributed to its appeal to us.

這家的麵大概是我在日本吃到現在以來最符合我們家味口的了。不會太鹹，很多的蔬菜配上木耳，口味清淡對味蕾或胃都不會有負擔。長崎由於地理位置和貿易歷史，料理上比日本本島其他地方有更多中華料理的影子，比較對我們胃口是這原因吧。

Then it’s off the Tenjin to check out the department store’s christmas decorations.

晚上是去天神看看百貨公司的聖誕節燈飾。

 

The restaurants in Tenjin were packed, with lines outside each one we passed. Teppanyaki, tempura, grills, ramens, sushi, it was a Sunday night, maybe everyone just felt like eating out near Christmas. We were glad we had our dinner back at Hakata station early.

天神的餐廳可是人滿為患。鐵板燒，天婦羅，烤肉，拉麵，壽司。或許是星期天吧，或是快聖誕節大家想外面吃。總之很慶幸在博多車站預先吃了晚餐。

 

The main attraction was the park by the Nishitetsu station, where there was a skating rink and a christmas train for the kids. Each department store each had a different style and theme going for them, some were a little more invested, others just threw on some lights and called it a day. None compared to the grandeur that was Tokyo’s Shiodome or Roppongi, it’s Fukuoka after all, one of the smallest metropolis in Japan, not even Nagoya or Sapporo.

聖誕節活動主區在西鐵站附近的公園，搭設了溜冰場和小孩最愛的聖誕火車。附近每家百貨的燈飾都有自己的特色，有些比較認真，有些則是掛點燈就算湊湊節氣了。跟東京汐留和六本木的燈飾完全是不同一個等級，不過也沒辦法，這裡只是福岡，日本最小的一個都會區，連名古屋或札幌都比不上。

Tenjin’s shopping streets were a maze, with alleys inside alleys, where one could quickly become lost, stairs leading up and down into various buildings where within were shopping arcades and squares. If only I had spent more time exploring them in the afternoons while more shops were open.

天神的商店街如迷宮般複雜，小巷內還有小巷，很容易就會轉到不知天南地北，樓梯上上下下穿過其他建築接到其他商店街或廣場。如果下午在更多店家還開著時有多逛逛就好了。

I originally also wanted to go to Fukuoka Tower however by this time I was getting tired, so I returned to the hotel with my parents and called it a night early.

原本還想去福岡塔看夜景的，但走了一天已經很累了，還是跟著爸媽一起回旅館提早收攤。