木曜日, 4月 13, 2006
Fukuoka?
We had the rentacar until today, so we used it to drive back up to Fukuoka, as below:
First, though, was the best onsen I have ever been in - Yamamizuki in the hills behind Kurokawa. In your lifetime, if you were to go to just ONE onsen, this should be it (barring Kinosaki in winter - that is also gold). Perfect temperature, directly on the riverside - the perfect place to relax, get clean, and contemplate nature. Just beautiful.
Fukuoka is a wonderful city, at least from what we saw of it. A blend of typical Japanese urban modernity but a little more outward looking - the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum was excellent - and with traditional remnants like temples, inns, and street stalls, for which Fukuoka is quite well known. We stayed at the Kashima-honkan, an excellent spacious inn halfway between the city centres of Fukuoka and Hakata, and easy walking distance of both.
Lunch was at Ichi-ran, a ramen store with a long history that serves only one dish, but lets you order it exactly how you want it - you tick a menu card to show how spicy, rich, tough, etc, you want your noodles, and if you want egg, mushroom, extra onion, etc, too. Fun, and good.
Also good was the all-you-can-drink special at Cotton Fields bar, a beer-lover's paradise (if the beer lover happens to have a bottomless wallet too. Most of the buffet beers were shit - witness XXXX).
Lunch was at Ichi-ran, a ramen store with a long history that serves only one dish, but lets you order it exactly how you want it - you tick a menu card to show how spicy, rich, tough, etc, you want your noodles, and if you want egg, mushroom, extra onion, etc, too. Fun, and good.
Also good was the all-you-can-drink special at Cotton Fields bar, a beer-lover's paradise (if the beer lover happens to have a bottomless wallet too. Most of the buffet beers were shit - witness XXXX).
