Given that the value of JPY had weakened by 15% since our last Japan trip in Aug 2023, we decided to plan another trip again. This time it was to a city we had never visited before.
My friends were always talking about Fukuoka and how wonderful it was. It has lovely weather, cheap and high-quality Japanese standard food and service where every toilet looks like an armchair console that has flushing jet water.
A good friend had recently made it his 2nd retirement home base there. He will spend up to 3 months with his wife in Fukuoka this year. We met them there during this time and they shared about their experiences in the city. We had an incredible dinner on our last night with them which cost a fraction of what we normally pay back home.
19 Apr, Fri – We took the 1 am flight and landed in Fukuoka 5.5 hours later at 8 am local time. The Uber ride to the hotel was about SGD 25 to drop off our luggage as we could only check in after 2 pm. We walked about 25 minutes to Canal City as a first stop before heading to Hakata Station to shop. Then it was back to Hotel Okura to check in to have a nap to recover after the overnight flight.
Our younger son joined us from Seoul that evening after spending a month there for his overseas hospital internship and vacation. He will join us for a week here before meeting his friends in Osaka before spending a month in Beijing for his 2nd hospital internship. We had a lovely Izakaya dinner filled with all our favourite side dishes that go well with alcohol before ending our first night in Fukuoka.
20 Apr, Sat – We started the morning by taking a cab to the Fukuoka Castle Ruins. It was the remains of the Fukuoka Castle, which played a significant role in Japanese history. It was built in the mid-17th century and was destroyed during a battle in 1877. Then it was to the famous Ohori and Maizuru Parks where there was a mini weekend fair with multiple ongoing activities.
We decided to try the famed Hakata ramen at the small 10-seater shop called Hakata Issou Gion. We needed to queue in the rain for about 45 minutes before finally getting our bar stool seats. More shopping around Hakata Station before we had a nice seafood Kaiseki (JPY 6,900) set for dinner at a place near the hotel which the concierge recommended. They offered the live squid sashimi which was still moving when served LOL. It must be the weather or the nice pillows and firm bed but we all slept well that night.
21 Apr, Sun – It was the beginning of our 4-day, 3-night road trip outside Fukuoka as we went to the Times car rental to pick up our Nissan Note hybrid car (car number 8997) at Hakata station. Travelling northeast, our first stop was the Nanzoin temple, a 45-minute drive away. The highlight was the 41-meter reclining Buddha, supposedly the biggest bronze statue in the world.
Then we proceeded to the main highlight of the day, our overnight stay at a glamping site called Glamp Dome Fukuoka Fukutsu. It was about SGD 750 for 3 adults, including a BBQ dinner and breakfast. As it was still too early to check in at 3 pm, we found a nice place beside it for lunch. Again, for less than SGD 90 for everything, we had a fantastic seafood-loaded Japanese meal.
It was still raining when we checked into our accommodation. There were 16 unique glamping tents which looked luxurious from the outside. We had a sleeping quarter and a separate building for a bathroom and dining area for our BBQ dinner and breakfast.
For the rest of the afternoon, we gathered at the activities centre for a free flow of drinks, played Jenga and made potato chips. There were also pizza-making and other activities to while away the rest of the afternoon. We started our BBQ dinner at 730 pm and had quality family time cooking our meal together. It was an unforgettable evening at a cool glamping site.
22 Apr, Mon – We checked out early by 9+ after breakfast as we had more than 2 hours of driving to reach our destination at Beppu, southeast of Fukuoka. Along the way, we visited a Wisteria park to see the purple-hanging flower blooms that occur at this time of the year after the cherry blossoms a few weeks ago.
We arrived in Beppu early and went to the YouMe mall for a late lunch before visiting the list of onsen hot spring attractions. It was the main highlight of the town. There was an earthquake tremor near this area just a week ago and things look alright now. Dinner was a simple Izakaya meal along the town’s main road, a short walking distance from our hotel.
23 Apr, Tue – On the road again to Yanagawa, another 2+ hours drive southwest of Fukuoka. We had a stopover at the famous Yufuin floral village and went for a walk around the scenic lake. The main street at Yufuin was filled with shops and food selections which we roamed for slightly more than an hour.
On the way, we decided to visit a strawberry farm to pick some fresh fruits off the plants as it was a wishlist item my wife wanted to do. The Chikushino strawberry picking farm offered an all-you-can-eat session for JPY 2,000 or just a Jpy 800 package for 40 mins where we will picked and pay for the fruits by weight.
We reached Yanagawa and discovered that it was an old and not happening town with a lot of canals. The highlight was the famous Unagi restaurant where we had an early dinner.
24 Apr, Wed – As we were not able to extend our car rental by another day to go to Itoshima, we had to return it at Hakata Station at 1000. After dropping off our luggage at Hotel Okura, we started our day trip to Itoshima by train.
The first stop was to visit the Ichiran Ramen Museum and have lunch there. We walked about 2.5 km to the nearest bus stop to catch a ride to see the Sakurai Futamigaura Couple Stones along the coastal area. The beach weather was pleasant and we just chilled there before taking the bus back to the main town area to check out the cool Instaggramable Ocean House place for sunset drinks and a light dinner.
25 Apr, Thurs – Our son’s last day with us before joining his friends in Osaka. We just chilled the whole day shopping and cafe hopping, checking out 2 hip but affordable places for dessert and drinks. We had a Japanese Nabe hotpot for dinner that was recommended by the hotel. Then we sent our son to the Hakata bus station to take his overnight bus to Osaka Universal Studios. We also had a Yatai supper on the way back as some push-cart food vendors were stationed next to the hotel.
26 Apr, Fri – Finally, my wife and I met up with my good friend and his wife. They love Fukuoka and were spending a month here plus another 2 more in May and Oct. Their first trip here was last year and they liked the weather, slow pace but high quality of life and low cost of living in this city.
We met at the subway station for a 25-minute ride to visit Dazaifu town as a day trip. This was the old ruling capital of Kyushu while Fukuoka was a trading port that did commerce and trading then. It was a pleasant place filled with many students doing education outings that day. There were a lot of shrines and long walking trails to enjoy a day trip there. We headed back to Fukuoka by mid-afternoon and did more shopping plus a Dr Stetch massage session and a simple Izayaka dinner.
26 Apr, Sat – This was the last full day for us in Fukuoka. We will have a morning flight home the next day. We took it easy and visited the Fukuoka Tower which was a landmark building that enabled us to get an aerial view of the whole city. The day ended with a lovely dinner with my good friend and wives at a place they recommended which was very good and value for money – a Kaiseki set for JPY 3,500 per person!
Overall, we had a very good introductory first trip to Fukuoka. The weather was wet most of the time but improved in the later part of the vacation. It must be the fresh air and food that made me sleep better and feel well-rested. Sleeping for up to 9 hours a day was easily accomplished here…
I don’t know how my friend can spend up to 3 months here but I guess it suits his retirement lifestyle with the high Japanese quality and standards with affordable expenses. Seeing the JPY depreciating 15-25% in the last year against the SGD certainly helps.
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