Sunday, June 5, 2016

Japan: Fukuoka: 5 days Spring Itinerary and Tips




Travel Date: May 15 – 19, 2016 [click here for Fukuoka: Spring Itinerary (2017 May)]

Accommodation: Where to stay in Fukuoka?
Hotel Ascent Fukuoka ホテルアセント福岡
3-3-14 Tenjin Chuo-ku, Chuo, Fukuoka, Japan 810-0001
中央区天神3-3-14, 中央区, 福岡, 日本 810-0001
Phone:+81 92-711-1300
http://www.hotel-ascent.com/fukuoka/
Hotel Review


Important Links:



Itinerary: Places to go, Things to see, What to do in Fukuoka?

Sunday
Arrival:Hotel Ascent Fukuoka ホテルアセント福岡
Ippudo TAO – Tenjin (博多一風堂)

Monday
Cathedral of Our Lady of Victory 聖母の勝利司教座聖堂
Heavy Rains and most of the Musuems are closed - Mina Mall and the 3 other shopping complex, Tenjin Undergroud Shopping street
After the rain: Fukuoka Tower (福岡タワー, Fukuoka Tawā)

It would have been either:
Karatsu Castle 唐津城
Fukuoka Castle/Maizuru Park (福岡城跡, Fukuokajōato)
Nokonoshima Island

Tuesday
Yutoku Inari Shrine (祐徳稲荷神社)
Huis Ten Bosch (ハウステンボス Hausu Ten Bosu)

Wednesday
Nanzo-in Temple (南蔵院)
Uminonakamichi Seaside Park (海の中道海浜公園)
Kawabata Shotengai博多川端商店街
Canal
ACROS vertical garden

Thursday
Kyushu National Museum (九州国立博物館)
Dazaifu Tenmagu Shrine






Weather
I would recommend to monitor the weather prior to your schedule and when you are there from http://www.timeanddate.com/weather/japan/nagoya/ext.  There’s an option to see an extended 2 weeks forecast (for you to prepare what clothes you’ll bring) and also an hour by hour forecast (to see if there is a need for a boots or shoes or an umbrella for the rain or the sun).


Earthquake Alert
Sinkhole Report on Nov 2016, nearby Hakata, Fukuoka - Details.

Check the recent quake reports (http://earthquaketrack.com/p/japan/recent).  Check the schedule of the places in case there are closures or cancellations of flights or hotel reservations.
  • 2016-05-15 01:10UTC, 4.7 magnitude, 53 km depth Ōtsuchi, Iwate, Japan
  • 2016-05-15 03:56TUC, 4.5 magnitude, 15 km depth Makurazaki, Kagoshima, Japan
  • 2016-05-16 08:50UTC, 4.8 magnitude, 25 km depth Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
  • 2016-05-19 11:50UTC, 4.5 magnitude, 34 km depth Namie, Fukushima, Japan

Read: http://www.japan-guide.com/news/0035.html



Read about the  news, Nov 2016.

Transportation

They have Sugoca for JR Kyushu, Nimoca for Nishitetsu.  I have Suica, Icoca and Manaca in hand, I have mostly used Suica in subway and city buses, but I have to buy separate tickets for JR lines. 

Read more on http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html.

Make sure to understand what your tickets say – it's cool huh!





Keep in mind, prepare to get lost.  Some train carts don’t have English guide displays.  So be prepared with JR train and subway station connecting maps with both Japanese and Romanized names. 

Other stations have unidentified direction where the train is coming or going.  Some stations has only 1 railway, where trains are coming and going on both directions.





One train cart has exposed florescent lamp and has open ceiling fan, not the same as what we know as high-tech Japan, but still it’s working as what it is supposed to be – to transport people for the places they are destined to, safe and sound.


The City
Modern enough for a 4th largest city in Japan.  Hakata and Tenjin is just like the busy streets of Tokyo, full of people in suit and rushing to their offices.


Returning Gifts, Omiyage, Pasalubong
After hoarding a lot of tea infusion from Nagoya last November, this trip has been a green tea, matcha adventure!


Visit Don Quijote in Nakasu-kawabata Station (Exit 4), for the cheaper Kit Kat chocolates – Mint, Strawberry Cheesecake, Beni-imo (sweet purple potato).  There are other unique flavors in the airport like wa-ichigo (variety of high quality Tochiotome strawberries), sakura matcha (flavored tea and cherry blossoms), Hokkaido melon and sake (which I’m most curious of among those flavors that I got on this trip).  And it’s real, you can taste the sake from this chocolate!







I stopped giving out key chains or magnets for souvenirs.  Instead, I bring back chocolates, coffee and tea for friends and family.  For me, I'm collecting postcards.



Expense Report: The Budget Travel Guide in Fukuoka for 4 days







Other sample itineraries and expense reports:
For my further sample itinerary, expense, trip reports and PDF guides, please visit links below:

Japan: Traveling for the First Time
Fukuoka: Spring Itinerary (2016 May)
Fukuoka: Spring Itinerary (2017 May)
Fukuoka and Saga: Autumn Itinerary (2022 Dec)
Nagano, Hakone to Tokyo: Autumn Itinerary (2019 Dec)
Nagoya: Autumn Itinerary (2015 Nov)
Sasebo, Oita and Fukuoka: Spring Itinerary (2023 Apr)
Tokyo: Autumn Itinerary (2014 Oct)

*Remember, you still need to decide for yourself based upon your attraction and fascination over a place or activity.  As well as to consider the pace you want to have while traveling.  Planning too many targets on a day will either exhaust you rather than give you peace and joy on the culture and tradition.

Create your own road, rather than taking someone else's path.  
It can only be a road when one passes it.


2 comments:

  1. Yours is a nice detailed itinerary too. Maybe we'll check out the other places you went to if we go back. :)

    ReplyDelete