#wanderl

Today was the first day in a while I genuinely felt happy from morning to night (okay a few angry spikes but I was able to calm down pretty fast). I’ve been dreading this day honestly cause originally I was supposed to confront the issue when I headed to Hakata but it didn’t happen due to the other party and I was afraid of how heavy my heart would feel. But instead from the moment I woke up, I felt ready to tackle the world. I left Hiroshima today and took the Shinkansen down to Fukuoka. As I left Hakata station I was greeted by a farmer’s market, unfortunately they weren’t open yet and I didn’t think I’d get a chance to come back so I took as much of a look around the perimeter as I could. I headed to my dorm at The Life Hostel & Bar Lounge to drop off my stuff. I was greeted by the funniest employee. He was so elated when he heard I was from California and he kept giving me fist bumps. It was endearing. Once I dropped my things off I headed out for the day still trying to figure out what to do.

Despite everyone telling me to visit Ohori Park, I decided to go with my gut and go to a further location. The bus there was infrequent and long but I took my time strolling to the stop. On the way I passed by Kushida Shrine which had one of the most impressive displays I’ve seen yet at any shrine or temple

From there I continued my wandering and ended in the Hakata Old Town Area. I passed by the Hakata Traditional Craft and Design Museum which has free admission and some very informative and well-written displays about traditional Hakata textiles and doll design.

The centerpiece of the museum is this statute of the Fuku No Kami, a common motif of Hakata.

I continued to the bus stop and had the opportunity to explore the Kawabata Shopping Arcade. Their selection here is slightly different than other shopping arcades I’ve visited so I had a lot of fun exploring. I especially loved one shop that specialized in soy bean cosmetic goods and drinks. The amazake soy milk was so fresh and delicious. After the endless detours I did eventually make my way to the bus stop and to Uminonakamichi Seaside Park. I wasn’t quite sure where to go so I first headed left (facing Marine World) and ended up at a big empty green field by the water with an open BBQ restaurant connected to a small looking resort. I ended up going into The Luiganz resort for a delicous farm to table buffet lunch.

Gorgeous dining room with a view of their pool and some towering palm trees.

The selection was limited but the quality of the ingredients were excellent and the price was very reasonable at around $20.

After lunch I headed in the other direction and into the proper seaside park area. You can rent a bike for about $5 for the whole day and just bike this massive place. There’s so many paths I know I didn’t get to explore nearly all of them. There’s everything from a bird sanctuary to vast flower fields. Everything about the process was so simple.

Tons of gorgeous and fun spots but the best spot was definitely the 

The Shiomidai Lookout where you can get a lovely panoramic view of the Genkai-nada Sea. There was just no one here and it was such a lovely place to unwind.

I’m not sure how long the entire bike ride was but it was definitely worth the pocket change. I took the railways back and ended up at Hakata Station where the Farmer’s Market was now in full swing. 

I picked up some pre-dinner snacks and walked around before getting on the totally wrong bus and ending up in the Tenjin area. I walked around for a bit before finally heading back to my hotel to settle in so I could get going to the Yatai stalls by the river. The walk there was interesting since it’s through Hakata’s red light district. The place was crowded but not too too overrun. Most places didn’t have an English menu so I made a complete guess about where to eat but I chose the stall with the granny cooking because that’s where the best meals come from!

Such a fun experience getting crammed into a stall and trying to juggle your meal. Gorgeous river views too (if you’re willing to turn back and actually look at it).

I ended the night with a convenience store dessert before heading off to bed for my next big day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6cL2SytGHQ