Fukuoka, Japan

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We hopped over to the seaside town of Fukuoka for a quick weekend trip at the end of February. We got there in the early morning and checked in to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in an area called Hakata. As usual, we found the weather outside of South Korea much more agreeable! We hopped on the subway and checked out some of the city's famous shrines and temples. The most recognizable is Kushida Shrine, which was originally founded in 757. We found a very lively restaurant for dinner, where the staff was super friendly and many customers approached us to say hello and practice their English. We had sashimi, yaki soba, crab, and sweet pumpkin with fish. Some of our new friends invited us to join them upstairs after our meal. Most of them spoke no English, so I relied on Todd's Japanese skills to keep me in the conversation! One girl named Chinamy was particularly fond of me and sat next to me all night snapping photos. Some of the reactions you get in Japan just by being Western are surprising! We all went to sing karaoke after that and then Todd and I finished off the night with some sake and dessert at a beautiful restaurant. The next morning we slept in and had breakfast down the street. We did some souvenir shopping and then headed for the airport. We were sad the trip was so short because we both love Japan so much. However, we will be heading back next month, this time to Tokyo.

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