Another bloomin’ day in Fukuoka

John didn’t think he would be in Japan on his 65th birthday I’ll bet.

Another fine day – no better than a leisurely bike ride. I am so proud that I mapped a route on Komoot, successfully synced it to my Garmin and followed the route to Nishi Park. Better still I think John was impressed and felt a little less anxious about the days ahead – he was quietly worried about my mapping skills. Ahha … I said perhaps you can learn how to do it … an old dog new tricks … ummm.

Nishi Park is another focal point for cherry blossoms on a hill overlooking the harbour.

What a difference a day makes, the trees were in full bloom and breathtaking – the park was popular with locals picnicking.

A nice lunch at a cafe along the way … not noodles … we pick from the picture on the menu – very nice and a cost of approx A$15.

A ride to Maizuru Park – the most popular bloom spotting by far … lots of food outlets – I mean 100+ and people everywhere and picnickers. Most trees were full bloom or a day away … people including me snapping away with mobiles and cameras for that perfect shot.

A lot of admin was done today; booking accommodation to get us to Nagasaki; mapping out the routes to avoid too many big climbs.

We stumbled across a great restaurant for dinner on our way back to Maizuru Park. John had a grilled curry and I had octopus and mushrooms in garlic.

Onto the park to see the blooms by night – 100’s of trees lit up with changing colours – food outlets doing a great trade.

Tomorrow we leave to Karatsu – I feel there is no wifi in the hotel so the blog may not go out.

Oodles of noodles …

The thin mattresses and rice pillows proved comfortable. I just love the kimono to lounge around in.

We had a city bike tour booked today. The morning was spent with Mayumi from Travelinsight Japan on a city bike ride. We visited many interesting places; Shrines and temples – the largest sitting wooden Buddha in Japan … very impressive. More culture, how to enter these places correctly.

A short stop at a local confectionery shop for some homemade dessert and tea. Very nice.

More cherry blossoms however a few days from full bloom, the tourists are out and about taking pics among the trees. It is common to see picnickers under the trees with a bottle of Sake – something of a tradition from long ago.

http://www.hakutsuru.co.jp/english/enjoy/yomoyama/story02.html

Lovely fine day, fog/haze stopped the opportunity for great views of the nearby islands. We rode along the seaside and the fishing boat harbour and a lunch stop at a very local Ramen outlet, lovely experience and great ramen.

It was a bike great tour thanks to our knowledgeable guide Mayumi.

Further walking around our surrounds and discovering even more shopping centres.

Dinner at a restaurant that makes their own soba noodles. When you’re on a good thing ….

The day has arrived for a very new adventure – Japan. This is totally out of my comfort zone – language, culture and hills. I think I can handle the food without hesitation.

We hugged the Western Australian coast up to Exmouth in the first leg – enroute to Bangkok. A lovely sunny day with spectacular views of the coastline despite the slow moving category 4 Cyclone Veronica causing all manner of damage through flooding and high winds in Port Hedland and surrounds.

A short 2hr stop in Bangkok then onto Fukuoka. Waiting for our departure – John said, ‘spot the blonde’ haha … then a group of young girls appeared – they were English speaking and a few blondes … it turned out they were from Melbourne.

Arriving in Fukuoka 7:30am through immigration/customs/assembled bikes on the road at 9:15am. My cycling app Komoot was very effective and syncing it to my new garmin worked successfully … yay.

Culture to the max today – too much info – I used the bidet at the airport. The toilets are warm – I didn’t press the 🎶 button though – I’m sure there will be another opportunity in the weeks ahead.

Our accommodation is a Ryokan – a traditional Japanese style inn – 3pm arrival means 3pm!! We arrived early and grateful to leave our bikes and panniers there while we did a reci of our surroundings. I think John is a winner with Japanese food. A food court under a shopping centre – chicken katsu hit the spot just pay extra to microwave and miso soup included all for ¥500 – $7 enough to share.

Cherry Blossoms are a couple of days away from full bloom but still looking lovely in the parks.

Back at our digs – I can’t wait to rest my head on the rice pillow and thin mattress. At the front door of the establishment shoes are removed and slippers put on … they will do my head in … I can see myself tripping up the stairs. There are separate slippers for the toilet – one has to do a quick shuffle when going to the loo between slippers.

John was worried that someone would steal his age-old runners … not likely I say … however, I wonder if I could pay someone to take them.

There are many covered shopping areas close by so a quick beef/pork curry and another dish with salad and miso … I’m loving miso.

The traditional bath – after walking our feet off today there is nothing quite like a soak in a hot tub. Our Ryokan is equipped with an onsen … a communal bath … separate for men and women … there is quite a process and I am thankful that I researched this before coming here. One must wash completely in low showers sitting on a stool and rinse off before entering the hot tub. Quite a liberating experience.