Fukuoka Trip 2010

I just returned from a short trip to Fukuoka, Japan, which I had never been before. My friend and I stayed in Hakata city, so within this short time, we tried to explore, yet keep it to a really relaxed mood. It was really a R & R kind of trip, as with our Japan trips so far.

On the general feel of the place, it was maybe not as interesting to us as Tokyo was, but there were still some sights to see. It was however not as fast-paced as Tokyo and somehow, you don't really see that many young people around. It's a pretty old place I guess.

The temperature was on average about 5-6 degrees I think, which was quite comfortable.And we managed to catch 5 minutes of snow on our last day there! although we were actually wondering why we were not in Tokyo which had been snowing rather heavily for the last couple of days.

I shan't go into too much detail, but here are some of the highlights:

1) Fukuoka Tower
This would be a must if you were to visit Hakata. At the Fukuoka Tower, you will get to see the panoramic view of the city and the Hakata Bay. I especially liked the view of the Muromi River. Tickets are at 800 yen but if you use the coupon in the brochure (gotten from the airport), there's a 20% discount.

2) Fukuoka Art Museum
This isn't a really big museum, but there were still a couple of nice artworks, including artifacts. We visited the permanent exhibits only (200 yen) as the temporary exhibit was the ancient Egypt exhibition, which is also currently on in Singapore. It would be better for us to visit the Singapore exhibit as the Japan one would be in Japanese, which would made the extra charges not worthed it (think it was 850 yen). Well, at least they had one Dali painting "The Madonna of Port Lligat" and an Andy Warhol of Elvis. Some other works I liked were Saeki Yuzo's Street (1927), Tatsuno Toeko's Untitled 94-9 and Jacques Monary's Toxic No.12 Apocalypse.
Although the Modern Art Gallery was filled with works by Japanese artists, it was a bit strange as one could see that they were mainly emulating Western art and you could see some resemblance of style influences from the European artists. You can't really say there's a Japanese element in them, but then again, it seemed that the Japanese didn't follow the style periods distinctly, but were fusing the styles together.
Sorry, no photos here due to restrictions.

3) Hakata Machiya Folk Museum (博多町家)
We visited this on our last day in Hakata and I think it was nice. It's also very small, but you get a glimpse of the 民间 culture in the older days. Also, I got to try my hand at textile weaving! I was praised leh. :)

4) Nature
It was nice that we could catch some flowers (I think plum blossoms) and some nature in the midst of the concrete jungle.

5) Food
Well, this wasn't too exciting coz I guess we weren't familiar with the city, hence we didn't really know where the good stuff were, unlike in Tokyo where we had friends & ready recommendations. But of course, we still got to try the Hakata ramen (pig bone soup base). And of course we bought lots of snack (me mainly).

6) Shopping
I'm guilty of spending more money on shopping (besides snacks). Mainly tops (long-sleeves) and I realise, in similar tones. And another agnès b bag. I didn't actually think I would buy the bag as I didn't on my first trip to Canal City. But fate brought me back to Canal City so I bought it, especially when they had the colour I wanted which wasn't on display (excuses, excuses).There were some other interesting kitchen stuff and some stationery.

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Maybe it's a good thing I only went 4 days because my luggage was already full with the shopping! But mainly with snacks which essentially were taking up a lot of space due to the packaging.

Would I go back again? Well, if I ever went back to Fukuoka, I guess I would visit another area (not Hakata). But I need to visit Osaka & Kyoto first. However, I think I can visit Tokyo many times as I think it's a good place to experience the new pace, and it gives access to the various surrounding areas. :) I would like to visit Hokkaido again too, but in a different season.