Fall Vacation Trip: Fukuoka Day 2

Just a short train ride from Fukuoka is Dazaifu, home to the Kyushu National Museum and a number of different temples and shrines. The main walk out of the train station towards Dazaifu Tenman-gū has many different shops selling souvenirs and places selling umegae mochi.

Platform and train at Dazaifu Station

Starbucks has a very interesting design

Store selling the local mochi

Totoro :)

There were tons of tourists at the shrine that day. The grounds are heavily wooded and there are plenty of paths to explore the shrine and surrounding areas. 

After walking around the shrine, I took a lunch break before heading to the Kyushu National Museum. Lunch was at a small restaurant near the train station. A cold noodle appetizer was served before the meal of donburi and udon. It all tasted great! The menu had pictures from what I remember. Unfortunately, I can't read much Japanese but judging from the large amount of tourists, I'm sure many restaurants and cafes in the area have either pictures on their menu or menus in languages other than Japanese.

After lunch I headed to the Kyushu National Museum. Photography was prohibited in the Kyushu National Museum but the building's architecture is still cool. The main lobby houses the ticket window, a gift shop, and an area where you can experience different Asian cultures through an interactive exhibit. General admission is JPY 430 with discounts for college students and groups. Lockers are available onsite as well.

Located near the water is Fukuoka Tower, a great spot to check out views of the city. Admission is JPY 800 and there are discounts for groups, children, and students. The exterior lighting of the tower changes depending on the time of year. It seems most people either take a bus or take the subway and then walk the rest of the way. You can also take a taxi or drive to the tower.

I did walk along the beach near the tower but the pictures I took weren't very good unfortunately.

Dinner was at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant called 玄海丸 天神店! It's located near Tenjin Station and was reasonably priced. I ate a ton!

Tuna is my favorite!

The stack of plates

Stay tuned for my final post about Fukuoka soon! ~

Summer Vacation Trip: Tokyo Day 1

This past June I had the opportunity to visit Tokyo! It also so happened that a few of my friends were going to be in town at the same time. This was also my first time flying on a Boeing 787! The windows were larger than usual as advertised, I didn't play too much with the dimming function though as it was kind of cloudy during take off.

Cloudy Day

In-flight meal - unexpected as the flight was really short

After arriving, taking the bus to my hotel, and meeting up with my friend, we headed to lunch at a Tsukemen restaurant. It was packed as it was right around lunch time and a lot of office workers and tourists were out and about. In short, it was delicious!

Delicious!

The famous Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko statue! This is probably one of the most photographed intersections but I wanted to snap my own photos as well! Many people hang out at the Starbucks facing the intersection to take pictures when the traffic lights change and all the people cross the street. The Hachiko statue is a common meeting place right outside Shibuya station and there were a ton of people taking pictures with it when I was there.

Shibuya Crossing

Shibuya Crossing

Hachiko Statue - it was election time so I think that is a campaign ribbon

After a brief stop at the Tokyo Sumo Museum we headed to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. The Edo-Tokyo Museum has some amazingly detailed dioramas and exhibit displays. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Dinner was sushi! I got a whole plate of different types of tuna from your normal, everyday tuna to some really delicious, fatty tuna!

Look at all that delicious TUNA

TUNA TUNA TUNA

The hotel I stayed at was the Tokyu Stay Shibuya. It is about a 10 minute walk away from Shibuya station. I think the location was fine as it is located near a grocery store and side streets with a few restaurants. It is also far enough away from Shibuya station to feel separated from the main hustle and bustle of the area. Below is a video tour of my hotel room as well as a map of the location. It is meant as an extended stay style of accommodation so there is a small kitchenette and washing machine in the room.

Stay tuned for more coming up soon!
~