FUKUOKA … kinda what it sounds like
FUKUOKA (actually pronounced F’Koka)
RECAP OF FUKUOKA
Not much recap, happy I met Oda. Not much going on in Fukuoka. One night was enough. Got a message from my friend Burke Toews from Winnipeg, who has been living in Tokyo many years now and was unfortunately out of town while I was there. He coaches high level basketball. He said let’s have a zoom next week early to answer all my Japan questions, so stay tuned. YAY!!
Day 10 – Oct 26 – Part 2
The train ride to Fukuoka was different, more green space, bigger houses, more cars driving, more highways with over passes, etc..
When I arrived, I realized it is still a huge city by my standards. 5.5 Million people wow! I walked to my hostel, at which point I realized this is the night I had booked in a dorm room, so as to experience it ‘all’ on this trip. Alright well, tonight it is.
I chatted at the front desk with an employee for a long time. Her name is ODA (pronounced Uda) – she was super insightful. She is Norwegian but been living in Japan 6 years doing her Masters. I asked her some of the questions I have been wanting to ask.
She says house values outside of major centers in Japan DECREASE in value. In major centers of course, they increase. Interesting. She answered many of my questions, which I will discuss in my full Japan recap.
I went for lunch at a Ramen place, but Fukuoka ramen is famous for being very oily from boiling the broth with pigs feet, etc. I did not want to eat that meat so my order was SANS meat and actually not the greatest. Interesting though, as a culture the way they eat ramen. It is the loudest slurp you have ever heard, about 6 times in a row to get the full length of noodles in that one bite. It is shocking – as you would not see this back home. One day when I’m alone, I’m going to try this and see if it tastes differently to slurp each bite super hard. Haha ..
Checked in to my TEN lady dorm room early. Nobody there which was great. Had a shower, had my last glass of vino while working in the quiet. Ahhhhh bliss. Needed to get away from the crowds for a bit. Wore my grey Osaka pyjamas – LOVE. I was alone in the room for 3 hours, so I had a great reprieve.
Quick day here, not a super dynamic city from what I can see. Oda says most Westerners never make it down here. I fly out in the morning to South Korea. On to the next.
Day 11 – Oct 27 – Fukuoka Part 2
Sleeping in a dorm with 10 pods is interesting at this age. Fukuoka is not very touristy, so I was the only non-Asian girl in our room. Which meant, interestingly – that not one word was spoken in our room. Contrary to Osaka, where I was also in a pod, full of tourists and we all became friends. Last night was clear, even if I tried to make eye contact a couple of times or make small chat, nobody was really interested. Each girl pretty much crawled into her pod, immediately closed the curtain and disappeared – wearing a suit! Eventually emerging in pyjamas to go brush her teeth. I didn’t even see bags go into the pods. These people are like magic. They leave a very small footprint, quiet and introverted type behavior.
In a very silent room such as last night, it is interesting the small noises haha. One girl was snorting every 30 seconds. One girl snored. One girl had her phone on vibrate so every 45 seconds it would buzz which was a little jolting in a silent room, her phone prob against the wall. One girl was aggressively moving her plastic bags around for an hour in her pod. But no words.
I got up early since others were moving around. Went down, had a coffee, got myself to the airport in Fukuoka. The lineup was out of control. And apparently, we were one of FOUR flights heading to Korea this morning. The volume of everything in Japan is staggering.
My flight to Seoul was amazing, will tell in next post. I will also post a full recap on Japan. I sure loved this place so much more than I expected. Farewell, beautiful country – beautiful people.
PICS BELOW
Every place in Japan was so generous with product, pyjamas, towels, etc.. I absolutely loved all their foaming hand and face soap
I chatted with this lovely family. Their 2 children fully happy and at peace, chatting and sleeping intermittently
Karen and George from Melbourne, Australia were so lovely! They just spent 4 months in Japan and are heading home
See my video of these 2 train drivers switching shifts. It was mind blowing for me to watch this exchange. I got some of it on video, it is on my FB. Next level.
Oda (pronounced Uda) from Norway – thanks for all the incredible conversation!! Loved it and could have chatted for hours. All the best on your Masters and your journey!
My SUICA card, good as gold in Japan everywhere you go, load it with cash and use it everywhere
Imagine, this pharmacist advised me that my body will heal my heels all on my own while I was looking for special bandaids… pretty sure I would have gotten a pill for that back home haha
8-11 shows my one night of a hostel type situation with 10 pods / beds in my room, I wanted to experience it all. I am in my room as I type this. I am the only non-Japanese person in my room
12. …can’t see my blisters on this pic but they are getting better slowly
13. I was organizing my bags so you can see my bags and shoes outside my bed, nobody else was in the room yet
14. Waking up to a cup of java and reviewing the Japan book
