We were looking forward to breakfast. Since when we went at 6:30 yesterday there were already people finishing eating we figured the restaurant must have opened earlier than it stated. We headed down at 6:15 and was sure enough there were already people there.

 

The dishes were similar to yesterday but with some variations, different pickles and fish and meatball. The curry and miso were still there which I immediately went for.

 

 

The day’s schedule was also another key event, Adachi Museum. I had contemplated which order to put things, Izumo Taisha or Adachi first. I ended up putting Adachi later, making it a Monday to avoid the crowd. Adachi Museum was a place to be enjoyed in quiet and peace.We check out and leave our luggage at the hotel. The night we would stay in Okayama but when we get would be flexible, depending on if my parents wanted to spend more time in Matsue or not.

 

The schedule was the same as last time. Train to Yasugi, immediately hop on the shuttle bus to Adachi. The difference was there were already several others on the bus this time. Felt like I really came at a low season last time.

 

 

Adachi Museum is both a museum and a garden. Ranked as the no 1 Japanese garden 12 years in a row, its garden was perfectly groomed and maintained to its founder’s vision. A picturesque living painting, postcard from every angle, a view and landscape that shifted and changed, giving different look and feels as one moved through the museum. It also held a large collection of early modern Japanese paintings that the founder hoped visitors by being amongst the tranquil surroundings could gain deeper insights.

Entree fee was 2300Y, half price for foreigners. 500Y for audio guide, which are a must have which provided talk on both the gardens and selection of paintings.

The trees were turning red, giving a different feel to the gardens from last time. More lively, a little less serene, in place it felt more wise, as though the summer rains taught the gardens how to embrace the coming winter and it was now content.

We sat in the tea room Midori facing the dry rock and pine garden. I felt this side had the better view compared to the light restaurant by the pond garden I had lunch at last time.

Drinks were 1000Y each, no exception. I had coffee while dad ordered their special, matcha kuzu with chestnut, kind of gelatinous and very sweet with a bit of bitterness.

 

 

My parents were even more impressed by the garden than I had been the first time. Not just the sight, as someone with a gardening background mom knew how much effort and care was needed to maintain the garden in such pristine state.

 

 

 

Mom loved the place so much she sought out and bought from the souvenir shop the dvd recording the gardens’ sights through the four seasons.

 

We left after 12, taking the 12:20 bus to Yonago. While waiting at the bus stop I got a nashi soft cream from the nearby shop.

 

 

There were a few options for lunch. Either head out for some eateries near the station, grab some bento in the station. Or try the eatery upstairs. It was not too highly rated from what I could remember but still acceptable for its price. In the end we decided it was too much trouble to go elsewhere and settled on the eatery on the second floor of Yonago station.

 

It’s another ticket machine, running into a lot of these on this trip. Purchase the meal ticket then find a seat, the staff will come around with water and collect the tickets.

 

 

Mine was marinated raw squid on rice with soba. The taste was… interesting, not terrible but I would not recommend it either. For the price though as long as one wasn’t too demanding with one’s food the place is definitely worth considering, just don’t be too adventurous.

 

And of course, since we’re at Yonago it won’t do to leave without getting some Gozaemon sushi, old style sushi where thick cuts of fish is pressed against the rice instead of the modern style of gently placing fish on rice.

Once we’ve returned to Matsue my parents were feeling a little tired, so I decided to head on to our next stop. Leaving now meant we would get there around 6pm, and Okayama was an urban city so we would be able to get a proper dinner for once on this trip.

I went to pick up our luggage from the hotel while my parents checked out the Ichibata department store. Apparently there was some kind of Hokkaido fair happening and my parents had a bit of fun trying out various foods.

 

The Yakumo express winded through the mountains and rivers, a journey of about two and a half hours. I think I fell asleep not long afterward, unaware that I was also dead tired.

 

I woke up about half way and began thinking of dinner choices. There was a set meal place about a block from the station, but I’m not too sure about dragging our luggage there so we would need to go check in first, except our hotel in Okayama was a few stop out by the tram, going there would mean some back and forth and very time consuming.

 

Again, my experience with the area came to use. I had stopped in Okayama 4 times previously and knew the station as well as one could be. I remembered that there was a tonkatsu place in the station itself. It always had a queue each time I passed through Okayama but since we were arriving before 6pm this time, we should be fine.

 

I raised the idea to my parents and they agreed it was a good idea. The place was called Shinjuku Tonkatsu Sabaten, a fairly common tonkatsu chain. It would only be later that I had already tried it in Taiwan a few years ago without realizing since when it branched to Taiwan they picked an incredible and clever translation that made it seemed really high class when it was just your average tonkatsu place in Japan.

Back to dinner. The staff that greeted us was a cute friendly girl. Most Japanese get abit frozen when interacting with foreigners but she seemed comfortable and was on top of everything. Even though my Japanese was good enough by now that I was able to convey most meanings across, including that mom was a little car sick and don’t feel like ordering anything, the girl was quite happy to repeat her Japanese in english in explaining that for our meals we had a choice of mixed grain rice or plain white rice.

 

 

 

The tonkatsu was good, and the shredded cabbages fresh with a really great sauce. Dad went a bit over on grinding his seasame seeds. Mom also felt better after having some cabbages and sharing some of dad’s tonkatsu. The girl came over mid way and asked if we would like more cabbages, which I enthusiastically replied “Hai, Okawarikudasai!”.

 

After a filling dinner we head for the hotel. The tram was 100Y for 3 stops to near the Okayama castle. Our hotel, again a Comfort Hotel was just across the road from the tram stop.

There weren’t that many hotels near the train station, I figured if I had to walk a few hundred metres I would rather take the tram. Comfort Hotel for some reason was really cheap, maybe it’s an off season in Okayama? It was one of the reasons I decided to stay two nights in Okayama instead of staying 3 nights in Matsue and coming over on the morning train.

After check in I went out for a tour of the city. Each time I visited Okayama it had mostly been kept to the main street and the station, and I liked to check out a city’s backstreets away from the glamour to get a feel of what the city is really like.

 

 

 

It might be the lakeside air, or the hotel’s aircon, but I woke up feeling better than ever, even more so than those few days in Aomori last year. There was something about being in a familiar city that was very relaxing. There was no need to worry about schedules, finding directions or any of the other things one need to think about while travelling.

 

I knock on my parent’s door and we head down for breakfast.

 

Urban Hotel’s breakfast was served in its main building, connecting to the second building where we were by an open walkway on the second level and we could feel the cold morning air.

 

The restaurant had a proper kitchen and was able to prepare proper dishes. The arrangement was similar to Color Hotel Aomori, soft boiled eggs, pickle appetizers, friend noodle and tempura, fish fillet and other assortment of traditional Japanese dishes. Its miso soup was served with clams from Shinjiko lake, a local delicacy. It was not quite as delicious as Color Hotel Aomori, then again it’d take a lot to top Color Hotel. There was also a large variety of dishes, more than one could try in a single breakfast.

 

A special mention must be made for the home made curry, full of flavour and generous with pork slices. Dad especially liked it as it allowed him to have a “hot” meal. Japanese dishes are often served cold even for grilled fish and things which is usually hard to stomach for Taiwanese. By pouring hot curry over the dishes he gets to enjoy them warm.

 

 

 

 

In the morning we go to Izumo Taisha then return with the Ichibata train line north of the lake which would put us closer to the castle than the JR railway’s Matsue station.

There were a few choice of trains to Izumo, all then connecting to the same train to Izumo Taisha, a matter of whether we leave early and spend some time around the Izumo station.

Mom suggested that we might as well leave early since we were ready. It was a good thing we did because it turned out the trains were running late due to fog. We caught the train that should have already left 5 minutes ago and was supposed to get to Izumo with 20 minutes to spare, and ended up nearly not making the transfer.

 

I ran to the Ichibata station first, along with several others similarly trying to make the same train. The station staff greeted me and assured me that there was still time, then asked where I was headed.

 

To Izumo Taisha, one way. Initially he said to just pay once we get to Izumo Taisha, but then he double check and asked where I was going after Izumo Taisha.

 

I could not thank the man enough for asking, because it turned out that there was a special that day and only that day where people could ride unlimited for just 500Y. If I had only wanted to get to Izumo Taisha the all day pass would not be needed at 450Y, but since I was continuing on to Shinjiko Onsen the pass would save 1000Y a person. Had the man not asked I would have bought single tickets all the way and be out 3000Y together.

 

The main street before Izumo Taisha had finished its renovations since three years ago. I remember that last time they were still digging up the pavements and there was constructions everywhere. Most of the shops seemed to have also undergone a facelift, many of which I was sure only opened in the past few years.

I split up with my parents again once we entered the shrine. I made my wishes and bought a fortune and charm. Said the year was going to be a turning point in life, which I took to be a good sign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This time I intended on visiting the Izumo History Museum which I failed to visit last time. The museum is next to the shrine on the right from main street. The museum currently have a special exhibit about the many stories and tales of gods in the Izumo area which I would have very much liked to see, but I had to weigh it up against having to make it back to Matsue before 2pm. In the end I visited only the general exhibits, which was quite rich in content as it was, going through the history and development of the Izumo Taisha and the Izumo area in general. Included in the exhibits was a giant old chigi, the wooden cross like ornament mounted at the ends of the shrine’s honden’s roof, retired during one of the Taisha’s restorations. In another hall, tens of thousand years old ceremonial bronze swords were on display, indicating the prosperity and importance of the area in ancient times.

 

 

 

I meet up with my parents who were resting at a Starbucks (pretty sure the Starbucks is new too), and we go off looking for lunch. The soba place I had in mind had a loooong queue so my parents said to not worry about it, instead we just wandered down the main street into a random restaurant.

The noodles were average, the ramen had a fancy named, named after the god Susanoo. Very touristy.

We took the direct train back to Matsue Shinjiko station (usually one had to make a transfer at Kawatoe, but on weekends a few trains goes directly to and from Shinjiko.

 

Upon alighting a few other passengers went directly for the foot onsen outside the station. Mom looked keen to try but we were pressed for time so I suggested we could come back in the evening if she wanted to.

Every third Sunday of the month there’s a free musketeer performance at the Matsue History Museum near the castle, as part of the city’s samurai city tourism initiative.

 

Only the way to the museum we passed the drum float parade before the castle, lined up and preparing to head out and parade down to the station. We took a few passing looks and continued on.

 

 

At the museum the musketeers were dressed and gearing up. The general looking guy joked that he was training new recruits as he showed one of the actors how to position her musket. Then they marched to the performance area. The general greeted the score of audiences and thanked us for being here despite the drum float parade outside, that we were gods to them. That drew some laughter.

 

The general first performed some sword techniques, slicing through bamboo sticks cleanly with their katanas, then he ordered his troops to form into formation.

 

The musket performance was a live performance, with proper loading of gunpowder, stuffing down the barrel with a stick and mounting the burning match (twine) which they wrapped about one arm. The only thing missing was loading the lead balls which were absent for obvious reasons.

 

The firing was loud, thunderous. This was the first time I had heard a musket go off and it’s better described as though a small cannon went off. It was louder still when they fired in unison, a half dozen muskets all at once and blanketed the courtyard with smoke. Now I could understand those stories of battlefield obscured by smoke from the guns that obscured army movements.

 

 

 

After the musket performance we continued up along the shiomi nawate, but dad had gotten tired by this point. We stop by a bus stop and I check the timetables, luckily the city’s circle route bus was due in a few minutes so we waited for it and put him on it for him to go back by himself first. Me and mom continued our walk around the castle then back over the many bridges of Matsue back to the hotel.

 

 

After a nap it was time to go see the sunset. The sun’s position was quite different from the last time in May. It was now much further to the left and meant it was now possible to frame the sunset together with Yomegashima and the buddha statue. The sunset was almost as beautiful as I remembered. A little cloud would have made it even better. The sky was too clear and didn’t quite have the same dramatic colours and reflections off the clouds as last time. It was still a sunset unlike any my parents have seen, which I am glad for as this was meant to be one of the main purpose of the trip.

 

 

 

My parents were feeling too tired to go out to the Suitouro event again, we grabbed some bentos and retired to the hotel.

After dinner I went out by myself.

 

 

 

As soon as I cross the bridge by the hotel I immediately felt a sense of relieve. Being alone, able to decide my pacing entirely. Even though I was able to keep in touch with my parents and frequently split up with them this time, being entirely free to decide on the schedule, not having to check on them, able to leave or return as early or as late as I wanted. My mind was at ease, and I was finally in the mood to take photos, playing with the framing and exposure settings.

 

 

 

The shiomi nawate area was more art focused, with various theme light works, such as a floating platform full of cat lanterns, lit up bridges, candle displays and a concert bar at the buke yashiki. The sightseeing boats gently plied the waterways, operating special night cruises only on weekends during the festival.

The edge of the footpath along the now closed off road was lined with small candles so one would not trip due to the level difference. An attention and care to detail that was very Japanese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The area was spectacularly lit, and the fact that it was Matsue meant there wasn’t a huge crowd. There were plenty of others enjoying the festival but never to the point of feeling intruding on each other, leaving each to appreciate the lights, water and music by themselves.

 

I had an great time out there, perhaps even more than in Shirakawago where time was much more limited. Here I could find a spot and take a minute, bathing in the atmosphere.

 

I stayed until the event was over then took the last shuttle bus back at 9:30. On my way back my parents called to let me know that they bought this ramen at Lawson and thought it to be delicious. I spent some time deliberating between getting the ramen and getting yaki-soba. Ramen, perhaps. Yaki-soba felt too salty for supper, even if I really missed the taste.

Breakfast at 6:30. Comfort Hotel’s breakfast is in line with most business hotels, some salad, egg, sausage, bread, soup and hot beverages. Items that can be easily prepared without proper kitchens or chefs. They don’t taste terrible, just monotonous and plain.

The day’s schedule involves Tsuwano then onward to Matsue, maybe see the sunset depending on the timing and then the suitouro lantern festival and drum parade pre-event.

 

I booked the 7:48 shinkansen to Shin-Yamaguchi. There was another one at 7:53 but being cautious, I picked the earlier one just in case. Which is just as well I did, because I spent a little more time packing up after breakfast, we ended up just missing the originally intended train. Had I picked the later one the whole day’s schedule would have been doomed as we would not reach Shin-Yamaguchi in time to make the transfer to Tsuwano.

 

It’s only half an hour to Shin-Yamaguchi. Shin-Yamaguchi station isn’t too big, at the shinkansen side’s waiting area there’s a small local gift shops, a bakery cafe and a udon place. Yamaguchi is famous for its fugu fish so the shop is filled with fugu products. Frozen fugu fillets, canned fugu, even fugu crackers.

 

A quick look around and 15 minutes later we head off to the local train platforms. The train was surprisingly packed. I originally thought they were headed for Tsuwano like we were, but when they didn’t get off I can only surmise they were going further onto Masuda. Not sure what’s in Masuda though, it’s kind of an onsen area, but don’t think it’s that popular.

 

Anyway, it takes about an hour to get to Tsuwano. We hops off the train and was immediately greeted by the countryside’s cool breeze.

 

Tsuwano is a small town in a river valley between two small mountains. The river flowing through the centre of town is a tributary of the Takatsu river, one of the few major river systems in Japan that has no dams, making it prime fishing ground for the ayu fish.

The town itself is known for its quiet country life, said to be largely unchanged since the Meiji eras a hundred years ago. The town once had a small castle overlooking it from the nearby mountain top, built in the 12th century and expanded after the Sengoku era and the area was awarded to a loyal follower of the shogun. The castle now long gone, following the Meiji Restoration like many other castles it was abandoned, dismantled and fell into ruin.

 

Just across the intersection from the station was a bike rental shop, I actually saw the place while I was scouting for coin lockers on google map, and saw its sign outside – Free luggage keeping with bike rental, or something like 200Y each without.

I had contemplated whether to rent the bikes, not suring whether they would be more convenient or hassle, having to hop on and off while touring the town’s main street where its shops were. After discussing with my parents we agreed it would probably be a good idea, as it would at least help with getting around outside the centre areas, and if they turn out to be more trouble than worth we can always just park them somewhere and go on foot.

 

The bike shop owner was very friendly, he asked whether we wanted bikes with straight or bent handle bars. Straight would be easier to turn but bent handles allowed one to sit more upright as the handles are closer to the rider. We made our picks then he gave us a map and a quick introduction of the town’s attractions, plus a 50Y discount voucher for the lift ride up to the castle ruin. Overall I was very very happy with the price and value. Back at Toya last year I had to pay 900Y upfront just for two hours, here it was 700Y for three hours, plus discount and free luggage keeping. Effectively I was paying 450Y for bike rentals.

 

Tsuwano is famous for its koi fish. Said to be kept in the water canals as a source of emergency food source in times of war. Upon hearing this mom insisted the koi kept in the past must have been a different breed, that koi was notoriously difficult to cook and hard to eat with many small bones. No idea how true that is. The koi here were some of the largest I have ever seen, some I reckon up to a metre in length.

 

 

 

We stop by a store called Koi no Yoneya, koi fish’s house of rice. The store had a small pond in the back filled with koi, nearby a basket of feed, 100Y a pack. The store is a mix, selling rice and other cereal crops and beans, cookies and old style candy, little toys, stuff you’d find in grocery stores in the 50s, mom said.

 

 

 

The town’s exhibition hall had the recently accepted as a national treasure drawing – 100 scenes of Tsuwano, on display. The series of drawings was commissioned by one the last ruling daimyo of the area, depicting the activities and sceneries of the town. Many of the scenes and activities drawn over 100 years ago remained visible and alive in modern day Tsuwano, such as it and the town is considered an important cultural heritage.

The main street area is a little more touristy, with mostly craft and cake shops. The local dessert is called genji maki, best described as a flattened dorayaki roll, I suppose. I had meant to try some but we would run out of time before I could do so.

 

There’s two catholic church in Tsuwano, unusual for a small town. One of it was built as a memorial to believers persecuted during the Tokugawa shogunate. The church on the main street had no pews, just tatami mats.

 

 

 

 

We passed through main street, skipping most of the museums and galleries thinking we’d visit them on the way back, and heads for the Inari shrine.

 

 

One of the largest Inari shrines, built in the fashion of the one in Kyoto, the archway of red torii zigzags up the mountainside to the main shrine.

 

 

 

 

A hundred metre or so past the main shrine is the chair lift heading up to the castle ruins. The chair lift, was actually somewhat terrifying. It was single seat and had no guard rails, all one had to hold on to was the single pole connecting the chair to the cables.

The chair lift never went that high off the ground, which I guess was why the chairs was so basic. But the mountain side was quite steep, if one fell out the chair I think one would keep rolling down the side for quite some distance.

 

From the top of the chair lift it’s another 10 minutes to the outer tower of the castle, then maybe another 10 minute to the main ruin. From the top of the ruins one had a clear view of the small town and river below, and the round Aonoyama mountain in the not too far distance.

The climb took much longer than I expected. The schedule allowed 4 hours and yet by the time we returned to the bikes parked at the foot of the Inari shrine, we had already taken over two hours. We had best find somewhere for lunch, the schedule absolutely allowed no delays, if we missed the train we would need to wait another 4 hours for one.

 

While on the way to a restaurant on my list, we check out the only convenience store in Tsuwano. If we couldn’t find a place to eat we could just buy some bento and rice ball from here. The place I had in mind was closed so we return back to the main street, where fortunately we ran across another place that I remembered to be decently rated on tabelog.

Sara no Ki Chaya. A decent and fair priced eatery with the typical range of udons, soba, rice dons and some local dishes.

You purchase meal tickets from the machine, each ticket was numbered and in two halves. Break off one half of the ticket, hand it to the kitchen staff, find a table and wait for them to call out your number. Yes, this require that you understand Japanese.

 

I chose the Uzume-meshi, said to be one of the so called five local rice dishes of Japan. Upon served all you see is the plain rice in soup stock, and only upon stirring is the richness of the dish revealed. Beneath the rice is small pieces of mushroom, carrot, fish cake, tofu, seaweed, local wild vegetable.

 

Can’t say too much about the taste as all the ingredients are fairly light in flavour. It is more a refreshing dish I think.

After lunch it was about time to get back to the station and return the bikes. I had just enough time to check out the old locomotive on display nearby. On weekends and public holidays, a sightseeing steam locomotive travels from Yamaguchi to Tsuwano, if one wanted to experience what it’s like to ride a smoke chugging steam train like people did a hundred years ago.

The train to Matsue rolls into station on time and we resumes our journey north, through the mountains and then up along the Japan Sea coast.

Lost in the scenery, by the time I woke up the train was passing Izumo. Memories came flowing back, as the farmlands gave way to the sight of Shinjiko lake. I felt as though I was visiting an old friend. I remembered that bread bun I had on the train back from Izumo. I remembered my walk to Tamatsukuri Onsen, and what a silly detour that was, all because I wanted to see what an onsen street was like.

Matsue, back again.

 

The station had underwent a facelift since three years ago. It used to be quite an old and cold station like Aomori, now it was more in line with Okayama, with brightly lit main concourse and shops. There was also a new 7-11 inside the station building itself, used to be the closest convenience store was the Family Mart outside.

Since the weather forecast was good for the next few days, there was no need to watch the sunset today. Having arrived in Matsue only at half past four and the sun setting at half past five, it would probably have required either running or a cab to get to the Art Museum in time to see it. I decided that it would be better to head to the hotel and have a quick break before the evening’s plans.

 

Our stay in Matsue is the Urban Hotel. Some elaboration is needed as there are actually three Urban Hotels in Matsue. Urban Hotel, by the station across the road from Ichibata Department store, which we’re staying at. Urban Hotel Lake Inn, south of the station and very poorly rated. New Urban Hotel, to the north near the Shinjiko Onsen area whose restaurant have a good panoramic view.

 

I picked Urban Hotel as it was close to the station and its breakfast had good ratings, even if the rooms themselves were a little small and old. Other nearby options, such as the Dormy Inn or Toyoko, Green Hotel, were more expensive and had better rooms, but not as good breakfasts. Urban Hotel’s rooms should be decent enough I determined, all things considered a good breakfast provided more value since breakfast options outside of hotels were limited in Matsue.

 

There were quite a few people at the counter, I could begin to feel the festival atmosphere and excitement. The room was better than I expected for what’s rated at around at 3.5. It was a little small of course, but I’ve stayed in smaller, and the bed and blankets old, but clean.

 

There’s a free shuttle bus service running between the station and the castle area where the festival event was held, about one every hour. The next one was at around 6pm so we got to have a shower first. My parents later argued we could have hurried up and taken the 5:15 shuttle, but I’m not as sure we could have made that one.

 

We were the first ones to the shuttle stop, the queue soon grew so long that I wondered if everyone would be able to get on, depending on what kind of bus they used. The bus ended up being a thirty seater so everyone could get on, but for a while I was worried.

 

The shuttle bus was slow, having to take a detour to the onsen area and pick up the tourists there. What would have taken about 10 minutes directly instead took over 20 minutes.

 

The bus set us off just outside the castle area. I gave my parents a quick rundown of the events at the festival then went separate ways.

 

The entranceway and steps of the castle was lined with various lanterns and other displays of light. In the main courtyard of the castle grounds were  hundreds of hand painted lanterns, one of the key focuses of the festival. Made by people of all walks, some made by students, some sponsored by businesses, some contributed by other tourists. The lanterns, most though not the most professionally made nor impressive, spoke of the spirit of the community and the bonds shared by the people of Matsue.

 

At seven the drums began to ring out below. The drum float parade was an event started when centuries ago a princess came from Kyoto to be married to the local lord and the drum parade was hosted to welcome her. Now it’s hosted every year on the third Sunday of October.

 

Every neighbourhood in Matsue had their own float and it’s an event that brings all members of the community together. The night before the parade the drums are hosted at select locations and members of the public are welcomed to join in and try their hand at drumming.

The drumming and accompanying flute playing were not the best, but respect when you consider all of those were volunteers, putting in their own time and efforts to keep the tradition and culture alive.

 

When I joined up with my parents I found that they had bought some fried noodles from the nearby food stall, which solved the problem of dinner. I could just grab something once the night was over.

 

The Matsue castle was also open for visit, extending its usual hours for the event. We climbed to the top but the sight was ruined by the spotlights shining on the castle from below. If it weren’t for the spotlight the view would surely have been quite spectacular.

There weren’t enough time to visit the event areas around the shiomi nawate area, on the banks of the castle’s moat, but there was still tomorrow night for that. We were thinking of heading back when we noticed the concert outside the prefecture government hall. Here the event was more aimed at grown ups, with the surrounding food stalls seeing coffee and pizza. We stayed here until the event finished at 8:30pm.

 

My familiarity of Matsue came to use as I remembered that there was a supermarket nearby. We got there just before closing and managed to snatch a few half price bento and some grilled fish.

We passed a Lawson when we were almost back to the hotel, and I can’t remember what brought it up but I mentioned that I always loved Japan’s milk, which always smelt so nice without coming across fake like some brands did in Taiwan. So I also went and bought a bottle of milk, intending on using it to keep my coffee cravings at bay.

 

A pretty eventful day, really enjoyed Tsuwano and the Suitouro event was even more interesting than I had expected.

 

There’s a few choices of airlines to Fukuoka, I decided on EVA as it had the best timetable, morning flight out and noon return, and reasonable fares.

 

It was somewhat of a surprise when I saw the Hello Kitty jet. I kind of knew EVA flew jets with Hello Kitty deco for flights to Japan, but I didn’t realize they flew it on the Fukuoka route. Hello Kitty jets are more than just a paint job. The internal decorations and meal utensils are also Hello Kitty themed. Think my cousins actually went out of their way to fly on a kitty jet a while back on their trip.

Not a kitty fan myself (I like Cinnamoroll better).

The food is better than what I’m used to (cough, Cathay…). Then again this is a Taiwanese airline so you’d expect them to cater for local taste.

 

The two hour flight passes in a blink of an eye and the plane touches down lightly in Fukuoka.

 

Fukuoka airport has the international terminal on the otherside of domestic, separated by the runway. A strange choice, but such is often the constraint of urban area airports. Because of this, unlike domestic which is served by the metro, international is only served by buses to the city centre.

A free shuttle does run between the terminals and many people uses it to get to domestic to take the metro.

 

This time I take a third option I’ve never used before on my travels. A taxi ride.

 

Fukuoka airport is really close to Hakata station, a bus ride is 260Y each, 780 for all three of us while a taxi ride is about 1500Y. Saves the trouble of waiting for a bus or hauling luggage, and being dropped off directly at the hotel (even if it is just across the road from the station), going by taxi is well worth the extra little bit of money.

 

But first thing first, money. With the trusted Citibank Plus debit card I withdraw some cash from the ATM. No forex or withdraw fee, it makes travelling so painless, no need to guess how much money to exchange beforehand before leaving home, and no need to worry about ever running out of cash, especially in a very cash dependent place like Japan.

 

Our hotel in Hakata is the Comfort Hotel. It’s not the greatest hotel, a little old but its location is impeccable, right across the road from the station.

 

After dropping off our luggages we head out to the station complex for the important task of picking up the rail pass. It took much longer than I expected, the girl at the counter was very friendly but possibly due to some kind of processing restriction, she had to contact some kind of processing office in order for me to pay with my credit card. Had I known it would be this troublesome I would have paid with cash, which I had already withdrawn enough of in case the card gets rejected.

 

Anycase I got the rail passes and reserved seats for our train up to Matsue tomorrow. I asked for seats on the Japan sea side, and the girl was more than helpful in obliging, even double checking the train’s seating plans to ensure that.

The original plan was to have a late lunch, have a look around then go back to the hotel to check in at 3pm. We didn’t feel hungry yet so just headed up the escalators.

Much like many other stations in Japan the Hakata station complex consists of several “wings”, department stores and arcades and restaurants. What makes it special is its roof garden which hosts a shinto shrine dedicated to the god of railway safety. We took the slow way up floor by floor, browsing along the way.

 

The roof garden consists of two halves, on one side is a small courtyard lined with a few tables, there are a few tricycles lying around for kids, and surrounding the courtyard a mini railway track that costs 200Y a ride. Overall a playground for the children while adults are off shopping.

 

On the other side is the shinto shrine. What I really love about Japan is how they treat things with such respect and properness. A shinto shrine atop a station shopping complex is more attraction and symbolic than actual worship. Yet not only does it have its own set of toriis, a pilgrim path with shops, it even has a small patch of rice field for growing rice dedicated to the gods. A well found balance of modern life and tradition without coming across as jarring or patronizing.

 

 

After the rooftop we head down to B1, customarily where the supermarket and other food related stores are. Not sure if it’s because it’s Friday afternoon or it’s always this busy, many of the various stalls were giving out food tastings and Dad had a good time sampling various snacks and sakes. We also bought a baked donut, and some kind of rice cake to try out. Finally Dad got a box of sushi to bring back to the hotel.

It’s hard to say where to place Comfort Hotel amongst the hotel chains. Better than Smile but not quite as good as Super, they do have complimentary drinks but doesn’t quite have the drink variety nor is their breakfast as good in terms of quality (variety is better). About equal in terms of rooms, and depending on whether you prefer interactions with hotel staff it can be better and worse at the same time. Personally I quite like the minimal contact security code access style of Super Hotel, though with Comfort you can be sure of the counter being staffed and you can drop off luggages with less hassle.

 

While having a short tea break with sushi bento, mom realizes we have no cups for the sake (doesn’t like using hotel cups). She talked about being on the lookout for place selling disposable cups, then I mentioned that there’s a Daiso right next to the station in the bus centre. That’s where we went first after the break. Then we heads west, the plan is to do a rough curve from Canal City through the nearby shopping arcade, cross over the riversides where roadside stalls that Hakata is famous for are located, then finish at the Tenjin shopping area and return via the metro.

 

It’s more or less just a tour the city and window shop, a little aimless, there’s not quite enough time to go further out from the city centre.

 

Canal City is a large shopping complex about 5 minutes walk from the station, so named as it has a canal going through its centre. Its centre consists of a convex ball shaped amphitheatre like space, currently occupied by a giant pumpkin. I knew Japan loved Halloween, a holiday mostly forgotten in Australia now, but I was not prepared for how much they embraced it, as I found out throughout this trip. Halloween decos were everywhere, almost as much as Christmas and Valentine. Maybe for a culture so usually restrained, holidays become a venue to express themselves?

 

I leave my parents at Canal City while I go check out the nearby shinto shrines. I bought data sims for them this time (got a good deal while they were on sale), even if I go off on my own they can still reach me and there’s no need to pre-agree on when and where to meet up.

 

Sumiyoshi shrine, gods of the seafaring and Kushida shrine that worships the ruling gods in shinto and hosts some of the biggest festivals around Hakata.

 

I wanted to visit them because I find that urban shrines often hold surprises, tucked away amidst the concrete surroundings a piece of tranquil calm separate from the modern world.

 

When I got back to Canal City my parents were watching a magic/tricks performance in front of the big pumpkin. Apparently I also missed the water dance, a major attraction for Canal City. Ah well.

The north side of Canal City connects to the Kawabata Dori shopping street, a pedestrian shopping arcade about half a kilometres long.

 

Shopping arcades are common in Japan, each have their own unique atmosphere and flavour. Some have a lot of izakaya (japanese bar), others more grocery focuses, some more about games and entertainment, others a mish mash.

 

Kawabata Dori leans slightly more food focused, izakaya, restaurants and food stores. We pause before a soybean specialty store which sells various soybean derived food products and even cosmetics. Their soymilk soft cream was fantastic and I highly recommend.

At the end of the shopping street we turn left toward Tenjin. The original plan was to either find something to eat from the yatai street stalls, or falling short of that get to Tenjin and find a restaurant. I’ve made short lists of potential places to eat for all the locations we’ll be visiting, sushis, meal sets, tonkatsus or dons.

 

If one look at the list you’ll see a notable absense, there’s nothing ramen. After last time I didn’t bother to note down ramens since my parents don’t like them. It was pure coincidence and chance that my parents asked me what was that building with all the lanterns on the other side of the road.

 

Oh that’s just the flagship store of Ichiran ramen, one of the most well known ramen chains. I casually answered.

I knew Ichiran’s flagship store was somewhere around Hakata but it didn’t even occur to me to check where it is. Lucky. I started taking photos then my parents said why don’t we try that then, if it’s that famous.

 

Well then… I suppose if they’re interested. Seems like I have a habit of randomly endding up in Ichiran.

 

Interestingly the flagship store in addition to their trademark style of individual counters, also have more traditional tables. I opted for the tables so it’ll be easier to help my parents order (even if for the counter seats they can fold the dividers between the counters). Also because I didn’t feel like climbing stairs.

 

Since my parents always complained that ramens are too salty, I suggested they make everything light, both flavour and thickness and no chilli. The staff come around and took our orders. It’s a shame they also forego the order ticket machine in their yatai style table seatings, I love punching buttons and seeing meal tickets fall out.

Turned out my parents actually quite liked the ramen, feeling the stock’s flavour to be just right. So maybe Ichiran is popular amongst Taiwanese for a reason, maybe it suite our taste more? I wonder if I should show them that godly curry milk ramen place in Aomori.

 

With dinner accidentally dealt with, we continue on to Tenjin directly. I figured there was no point in searching out the yatais street foods if we weren’t going to eat anything. Plus, it was getting close to 7pm, and the Tenjin area starts shutting down at 8.

The Tenjin underground shopping street is more high classed than the average underground shopping street. There’s a fair bit more trinket shops, designer clothes. The ceiling and walls are painted black and the light dimmed to give a more classical and quiet feel to the place. The intersections are decorated with coloured glass frescos.

 

 

I can see why the place is popular with some people, if one liked shopping one could spend an entire day here.

 

We return to Hakata station with the metro, 200Y for three stops. It could be the lighting but the metro feels somewhat aged compared to say Tokyo or Nagoya.

 

We checked out the supermarket again looking for some fruit. At this season it’s basically just apples and mandarins, but the mandarins were selling at like 800Y a bag. Immediately my parents regretted not having bought cheaper ones back at Kawabata Dori. We returned to the hotel empty handed.

Puzzled, mandarins are supposed to be about 300Y a bag, I know because I had like 3 or 4 bags of them last year. Convinced it was just the supermarket at Hakata City being way too high class, I head out again on my own in search of a more reasonable supermarket.

 

Using a Japanese supermarket search website, I learned that there’s another one in the basement of the bus centre. It’s called Reganet Cute, a supermarket aimed at office workers with everything in small packs. The mandarins here was about 290Y a bag, much more reasonable.

Feeling quite good about accomplishing my goal, I head up to the garden atop Hakata City once more to check out the shrine and the views of the city at night. Because of the nearby airport there are no highrises near Hakata station. The station itself, at 11 floors, is already one of the tallest building around, but sadly not significantly taller than the surroundings to provide a good view.

 

Back to the hotel, I hand over the mandarins to my parents and retire for the night.