22 November 2015
More than Shinjuku
The very colorful shopping area of Tenjin in Fukuoka
I think Fukuoka has a larger commercial district than even Shinjuku. Theres 10 big department stores. I dont know how the population can support this, but it was busy enough tonight.
On my way to the shopping area, a few hundred metres from my hotel, many black cats crossed my path in the back streets, and then a kitten attacked me! Tried to bite my heels. I had to flee.
Around the next corner, some tough guys were busy comparing perms and man bags out the front of the skateboard shop, so I stood there to take their photo and they all became shy.
Later, I saw a bunch of zombie girls, all dressed up, arms swaying, walking like the undead, until I tried to take their photo, when they also fled.
This got me thinking, is there a huge market in Japan for fake tattoos? These fake tough kids have tattoos, but in Japan more so than in Australia, theres a social stigma attached to that. You cannot get a job, you cannot go into a spa or pool etc.
So I am now presuming these tough kids secretly get dressed up each Sunday night, apply their temporary tattoos, and wash it all off somewhere before they go home in their plain school uniform.
Mitsukoshi is doing their part to sustain the power industry of Japan by putting millions of lights around the perimeter of their massive store.
Lots of people were enjoying them, including small children running and rolling down the grass hill. It was dangerous standing here, a mini Pikachu almost got me.
I dont even know what these places are, big stores in every direction.
Iwataya on both sides of the road, joined by the bridges above the road and the huge food area underground.
I wandered away a bit, and came across this store covered in tentacles and or tree branches. They continue throughout the interior of the store also.
Quite tasteful.
This is a working cuckoo clock. Its on the outside of a whole complex of covered shopping streets.
Star Wars Crocs.
How did Disney convince every single brand for every single product to pay them money?
I think they went to all of them and talked up how they were targetting them specifically for a Star Wars exclusive partnership, must maintain media blackout until whatever date.
Then on that date, every company in Japan revealed their Star Wars merchandise, and the cheese factory was annoyed that the shoe factory was annoyed that the toilet paper company was annoyed that the fridge company all had Star Wars everything.
I did indeed return for my Ramen. It was not as popular at night, didnt have to line up long and easily found a table.
All serves were the same price, you had to buy a meal ticket from a different stand, and then the stall you buy from puts their stamp on it and it gets counted to the total for best Ramen in all of Japan!
My ramen was pretty good, not sure it was the best I have had though!
It was whilst here I remembered tomorrow is a national holiday again, for 'Labour Thanksgiving Day' whatever that is.
I thought it was weird the ramen festival finishes tomorrow on a Monday. This may alter my plans.
Heres a streetside food stall my mother mentioned in the above comments. They are everywhere. Very much like the ones in Korea.
The difference is theres no smoke pouring out of these ones because they arent charcoal fired barbecue.
The shopping and dining streets around the Tenjin area seem to go on forever, I am yet to find where the neon ends.