Mainly photos
January 2026
An early arrival into Fukuoka to start a 2-week winter holiday in Japan.
The original theme of the travel was to ride the train from the southern most Shinkansen station to the northern most Shinkansen station [It was not to be].
After I booked the Blossom Hotel in Fukuoka, I realised that it does not have a hotbath facility 😔 [I had enjoyed the Kumamoto Blossom Hotel hotbath facility, and foolishly assumed that all Blossom Hotels have them]. Thus, a visit to Ibusuki Onsen would be a nice first Onsen/hotbath for the journey.
After finding out that the Kanmon Tunnel connects Kyushu and Honshu under the sea, the walk would have been more memorable than taking the train. 😚
Itinerary of the trip
Day 3 -12 : Takasaki, Naruko Onsen, Shikoku, Sendai, Atami, Yokohama, Tokyo
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April 2025
Itinerary of the trip
Day 9 - 10 Fukuoka
Day 11 Fukuoka - Singapore
Day 9 - Fukuoka - Chikuogo Train
Chikugo - The Rail Kitchen
It is a tourist train that offers onboard dining experience. I managed to book the Sunday lunch starting from Fukuoka to Omuta. A seat was assigned, and the menu was given once onboard the train.
The menu was curated three chefs, and included a welcome drink, assortments of 6 appetizers, a fish and meat dish, dessert and coffee.
The food was served as the train rolled towards it destination. It was an excellent combination of both culinary and sightseeing trip. Day 10 - Genkai Island
After watching a few Japanese drama of life on an island, I decided to visit Genkai Island (nearest to Fukuoka, and easiest to get to) on my last day in Fukuoka.
The ferry set off from the Hakata Ferry Terminal. The plan was to have lunch on the island's only restaurant, walked around the terminal and catch the afternoon ferry back to Hakata.
There were less than 20 passengers aboard the ferry, and most seem to be local with the exception of me (as a tourist?)
The ferry arrived after about 30 minutes. It is a small island, and I made my way to restaurant on the island.
I am the only customer in the restaurant cum resident of a friendly chef (from google search, he is Mr. Kota Miyagawa). Since the reservation is for a minimum of 2 person, I informed him that I am one person, and that it is ok to serve one portion.
The lunch was lavish and delicious. While having lunch, there was a public announcement over the island speaker.
Mr. Kota informed me that the ferry has been delayed due to the strong wind. [ohh ohh... ]
After the meal, I was effectively 'stranded' in the restaurant. Mr Kota volunteered to drive me around for a sightseeing tour of the island.
We rode around the island and to the beaches. We chatted and I said I had wanted to shop at MontBell shop in Fukuoka in the evening, and am wondering if it was still possible. He said that he would go shopping in Busan with his friend.
Then, he drove to the school perched on top of the hill so that I could have a good view of the ferry terminal, and also to visit the school and a shrine in the school compound (Also, he used to teach a class there before).
It was then announced that the ferry would be cancelled for the day. Mr Kota asked if I would like to charter a fishing boat (~10k yen) to go back to Hakata. Of course, I was grateful and he quickly made calls to look for available boats. He then drove to the ferry terminal office to request for a refund for my return trip ticket. I am of course grateful but more important to confirm the chartered ferry.
Then, he got a call that a fisherman's boat is willing to take all the stranded people back to Hakata for free!!! He then quickly drove to the terminal.
A few passengers were already boarding the boat. I hurriedly board the boat, and waved a thankful farewell to Mr. Kota.
Arrival in Hakata
We arrived at Hakata after about 30 minutes. [I was wondering if it would be rude to pay the boatman. I observed that none of the other passengers paid him, and thus I decided against it too.
I still managed to go to MontBell for shopping before it closing time.
I am thankful to the kindness, friendliness and help from the resident on Genkai Island.
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March 2018