Blogs from Fukuoka, Japan, Asia

2023_Blog 25_Japan April 14 Port of Call: Fukuoka (Hakata), Japan – Weather: Heavy rain - 62°F/17°C – Wind: 7 mph. This morning’s viewing started early for us as the ship sailed through the Kanmon Strait, also known as Straits of Shimonoseki. This stretch of water separates Honshu and Kyushu, two of Japan’s four main islands. The overcast skies and rainy conditions made viewing difficult and uncomfortable. It is always fun to pass under a bridge and this morning we did just that. The Kanmon Bridge is a 1,068 metre suspension bridge connecting Shimonoseki in Honshu to Kitakyushu in Kyushu. Our cruise director provided a running commentary over the PA system as we transited the strait. We docked in Fukuoka (Hakata) on the northwestern side of Kyushu Island in the early afternoon and a downpour which continued ... read more

It was a good job that we went to Huis ten Bosch on the Thursday , even though we had some rain, on the Friday it was torrential. We are based in Sasebo for a couple of nights and this is the first place that we have been to with no banners or sightings of rugby fans. They do have a large US port. So more English signage and we rather enjoyed a proper Turkish kebab by a real Turk for our dinner. We were very lucky in that we decided to go on a boat trip,for a cruise around the islands. Famous for being the most densely concentrated clustering of islands in Japan (208 if your asking) luckily it held off raining until we had finished the cruise. It was rather beautiful and atmospheric. So ... read more

SC writes: We are using Fukuoka as a base to explore Kyushu in the west of Japan. Yesterday we headed off eastwards to Beppu, billed as a resort sort of town on the coast and famous for a string of hot springs, too hot to be Onsen. We’re talking boiling mud, great clouds of steam and water at 99 degrees C. Collectively there are 7 sites, known as “Hells”, each with its own unique attraction. These range from boiling mud that creates gloopy circles of toned grey - see photos - to steamping pools of various colours, to crocodiles. Yes that’s not a typo! All very interesting and we had to make our way to them by bus. From there things took a turn for the worse. Beppu the town was disappointing despite more good weather. ... read more

Dear All Greetings from Fukuoka, the largest city on the island of Kyushu, and at just over 1.5 million people, the sixth largest in Japan. It is definitely an urban centre, it’s been good to have arrived here, and although there really isn’t that much to see and do in the city itself, it’s been a great place in which to spend my final three nights in Japan. Indeed, this is my last stop on the Japan-leg of my summer adventures this year – I feel quite sad about this actually, as if it is not evident in these blogs I’ve written, I’ve had the most amazing time travelling in this wonderful country. The people are super welcoming, friendly and hospitable, the country is beautiful, there are so many things to see and do, so many ... read more

Today, Ralph and I had to get back to Japan ASAP. We figured it was a holiday and the train stations were going to be packed. Not only were the train stations going to be packed, but also the ferry station that had to get us over back to Japan as well. We headed out of Seoul around 9AM and I snapped a few more photos of Seoul and Busan. We take the ferry across the boat and end up back in Fukuoka. Later for dinner, we end up finding a traditional Japanese restaurant to eat at and then Ralph and I ended up exploring the city a few more hours after that. Happy holidays to everyone back at home! I am excited to go back home to LA. I got a 5 hour train ride ... read more