22 November 2015
Final destination
The short train ride from Shimonoseki to Fukuoka
Now I am in Fukuoka, it will be my last stop on this holiday.
Getting here took about, 18 minutes, on the bullet train in a tunnel for probably 17 of those minutes.
I took a train as late as I could based on check out time, so before leaving Shimonoseki I went and had a look at the ferry terminal.
From there, you can take a ferry to Korea every day or 3 locations in China once a week. It is only $60 to go to Korea on a huge ship that takes 12 hours.
The ferry terminal was like a tier 3 Chinese city, I suspect everyone that works there wonders why it still exists. I saw the huge ferry from Korea arrive, and only 12 people got off, it looks like it could carry 1200.
Once I got to Fukuoka, I walked to my hotel, which took a while, but I was still too early for the strictly enforced 3pm check in, so I wandered around the place and looked in shops.
Fukuoka seems large, and modern, the downtown area is full of people currently, I hear Sunday is the most popular day for kids to hang ou in town, cause they go to school on Saturdays in Japan.
Being a student in an Asian country is just terrible.
The most exciting thing is that my hotel is nearby 2 supermarkets, I like supermarkets.
The Shimonoseki ferry terminal and immigration detention centre.
Like everywhere in Shimonoseki, you can get to the ferry terminal without ever descending to street level, thus ensuring there is no commercial business of any kind in the city.
The Hakata station in Fukuoka is quite a distance from the main downtown area called Tenoji, but its still a huge commercial area itself. this is Yodabashi.
Inside the train station gates there was a mini ramen festival going on, more on that later...
You can smoke inside burger king still.
The lobby of my hotel is impressive. It is an APA Excellent hotel, Im not sure what separates APA hotels from APA Excellent.
You will see soon how this hotel chain is a religious cult.
I headed into the excellent Loft store, and bought a scandanavian toilet seat cushion.
Mitsukoshi is huge but dated looking. Its also the Fukuoka station area, which is not where bullet trains go from.
This bullshit is the scourge of Japan. More idiots on a truck screaming all day with the huge air cannon speakers. Their voices echo across the entire city at all times.
It looks like a nazi rally. There are literally, 2 people watching them.
Now thats a department store. This is all Daimaru. The huge red building on the left and right, the central atrium and the glass tower in the middle.
I counted 17 levels plus 2 underground. I only ever go into the stores for the restaurants, but I have no idea how they can all be sustained financially.
This is the down town Ramen festival and competition of sorts, there seems to be judging. Tonight is the final night, so I guess thats dinner if I can get near the head of a queue and find a seat.
I cant eat ramen whilst standing, and I saw a lot of people wandering around looking uncomfortably for a seat at 3 in the afternoon.
The local big boss guitar store is fantastic.
More Bodens. These things are supposed to be rare. Every guitar store in Japan has at least 2.
I refuelled on some seaweed and dried fish flavoured star wars star shapes. They were terrible.
This is my room, probably the nicest room I have had so far. Its a bit dated but has been done up. Paper cranes on the bed.
You can tell that under the facade of new, is a lot of layers of old.
My late afternoon snack, pickled cucumber again, and fruit salad. Delicious, so healthy, need to go on diet or do more exercise, 40,000 steps a day isnt cutting it.
And now I will settle down to the free book provided in my room - Japan Pride - a proposal for revival.
Chapters include -
We must take back Japans glorious history.
The asahi shimbuns reporting on the comfort women issue is the medias worst crime in the postwar era.
Other media outlets are greatly responsible for permitting the asahi shimbuns reckless actions.
Out of 12 chapters, 3 are on 'the comfort women issue'. I mention it often here and when in China and in Korea, it really is a big deal.
The hotel group owner is a huge supporter of Shinzo Abe, and wants to invade China. Seriously.