JPN: Fukuoka Uptown

Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, Japan

In the previous post, I've covered a few of the sights in the central region of Fukuoka, i.e. Hakata Ward and Chuo Ward. This post, on the other hand, covers the things that my BFFs and I saw as we made my way to and from Fukuoka Tower in the northern area during the day, as well as the original Ichiran store in the evening.


To go to Fukuoka Tower, we took the train to Nishijin subway station.

Apparently, each station has got a logo.

At the point of writing, Fukuoka has got three subway lines with a total of 35 stations.

According to Google Maps, it takes about 20 minutes on average to walk from Nishijin subway station to Fukuoka Tower.


Red, yellow and green~

Random crab statues spotted at an intersection!

Opened in 1990, Fukuoka City Museum offers an insight into the cultural development of the region with an emphasis on Fukuoka's role as a gateway for trade and cultural exchange between Japan the Korean Peninsula.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday every week from 9.30am to 5.30pm.

It costs only ¥200 (~S$2.45) to see the exhibitions inside the museum,
though we didn't allocate time for that in our itinerary.

Melon wanted to pose in front of the maple tree.
Along the way, we chanced upon a landmark that doesn't come with an explanation panel. I believe it's called Satellite Tower.



We wanted to take a look at the interior of Fukuoka City Public Library. Unfortunately, it was closed that day for a staff event.


Owls are synonymous with knowledge and wisdom.
 

I didn't expect to see figures of Hindu deities at the entrance of the path leading to Fukuoka Tower. Anyway, we didn't actually go up to the observation platform, checking out a few shops only on the first floor.


Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles.
Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to some Jains and Buddhists.

Fukuoka Tower stands at 234 m.

Mentaiko (lit. pollock roe), anyone?
Marizon is a grand-looking wedding venue at the man-made beach to the north of Fukuoka Tower.



I was so excited when I spotted a Blue Seal kiosk nearby, but only to get disappointed the moment I noticed it wasn't open that afternoon. Having the slogan "Born in America, Raised in Okinawa", Blue Seal was first opened on a US Base in Okinawa in 1948.


We had a good stroll along Momochi Seaside Park.


Overlooking Hakata Bay Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk (4*) has got more than 1,000 guest rooms.

I purposely put a pinecone on that figure of a globe to indicate where we were.
Fukuoka Yafuoku! Dome is Japan's first sporting dome with retractable roof. It's home to Softbank Hawks, the only professional baseball team in Kyushu.



From there, we made our way to Tojinmachi subway station.


I didn't see any traffic jams during my stay in Fukuoka.



I still like Doraemon very much until now.
We made it a point to see Yakult Founding Place that's not far from Tojinmachi subway station. The popular probiotic drink was first released in 1935.



The vending machine nearest to the small landmark sells various beverages by the Yakult company.
Each of them costs ¥100 (~S$1.25).
In the evening, we walked from Hotel Sunline Fukuoka Hakata Ekimae to Minami Ward to have dinner at the original Ichiran store, which was founded in 1960 as Futaba Ramen.



I wonder why that ラーメン (lit. ramen) is spelled upside down.
After clocking more than 20,000 steps, we really enjoyed our dinner at Ichiran.


Gold trophy!


Three days and two nights were enough for us to explore Fukuoka.

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