I have no idea what is in Hakata, Fukuoka besides the famous Tonkotsu ramen that originates here. That is definitely be on my must-eat list here. What about the attractions? No clue on what to expect so time to explore!
Day 1
I arrived Hakata JR station at around late noon and walked for 10 minutes to check into Chisun Hotel. It is quite a budget, no frills hotel but the location is great as it is 5 minutes walk away from Canal City. Canal City is a mega shopping mall that has all the shopping and food. Of course, dinner is Tonkotsu ramen and
I have mentioned before but I have to mention again, the best ramen I have had is.... Ichiran!
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| The signboard that says nothing of the good food |
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| Entering a place with lots of stalls for individual privacy |
Seriously, I could eat it every day, especially the gooey egg. Just perfection man. Hope they will come to Singapore in the future.
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| The broth is really satisfying and addictive! |
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| I can't help drooling while I writing this... |
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| Canal city - the mega shopping mall |
Day 2
Bright and early, we set off to Gion station,
different from the one in Kyoto. After the temple-bingeing in Kyoto, we were not keen to see another temple but since Tochoji Temple is right beside the Gion station and on the way to Ohori Park, we just went in to take a quick look.
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| A pagoda and similar temple stuff.. |
Ohori Park was our main aim so off we go, strolling towards it. Mind you, it's a 40 minutes walk so if you are lazy, then you can take subway straight to Ohori koen station. You will be missing out on the scenic views along the way which is the charm of this top attraction.
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| Nice scenic walk |
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| The numerous water lilies in the pond |
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| Lovely flowers in full bloom |
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| Elderly painting passionately |
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| A big stadium right beside the park |
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| The Ohori park... a bit anti-climax. The walk there is more scenic. |
Lunch was at Ippudo - Tao. It was ok, just not as fantastic as Ichiran. The fatty char siew was absolutely sinfully delicious so it's worth a try although they have a branch in Singapore now. Better to go Ippudo rather than Ippudo -Tao.
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| The fusion of the 2 brands |
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| The fatty pork slices were melt-in-the-mouth goodness! |
Not enough of walking? We headed to Tenjin underground city at Tenjin station next for some shopping done. I did not buy much but it's interesting to look at the little shops selling from cute to chic to flashy stuff. A wide variety of goods and the decorations there are really cool too. It was quite an enjoyable walk and good to avoid the strong sun during noon.
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| The entrance to some shelter |
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| Some cool stuff to take a look |
The whole area around Tenjin and also at the back of Canal city, you will see many small eateries called Yatai stalls. It's like an open air teppanyaki where you can sit and eat while they grill the food in front of you.
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| The big bill board showing the prices but I can't read anyway |
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| Taste as good as it looks and quite affordable too |
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| I always have to get some grilled prawns |
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| The mentaiko which is really fishy! |
It was my first try of the specialty here which is Mentaiko and boy, I really hate the fishy taste! However, I seem to be the only one as everyone else is tucking it in. Besides that Mentaiko, I enjoyed myself fully at such local authentic taste and encourage you to patronize these stalls. Just head to the more crowded one like how Singaporeans do it.
Day 3
Can't stop thinking of Ichiran, we went again for brunch. Completely satisfied, we headed off to Marinoa city. The only way to get there directly was by bus so just ask your hotel where the bus stop for Bus 303 is. Otherwise, you can board at Bus stop A in front of Hakata station.
Marinoa city is another great place for shopaholics as it is an outlet mall. Gap, Quiksilver and Asics are there along with many other shops and restaurants. You can check out the full listing
here.
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| The entrance just behind the bus stop |
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| The view at night |
Don't spend too much time there if you still want to head to a baseball stadium called Yahoo! Dome. It makes more sense to go if you have got a ticket to watch a match but unfortunately, I went during the off season.
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| The big baseball stadium |
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| Logo looks like 'The Voice' music competition |
After which, time for dinner! I can vividly remember this restaurant as being better than
Sushi Dai in Tsukiji market which should tell you something about the standard of the food. Without the need to queue although it's still crowded, Chikae restaurant is really the best sushi I have tasted! Fresh, melt in your mouth goodness and a tinge of seawater... It's a must try if you visit Fukuoka. It's a short walk from Asakasa station and the location is now in Google. I got lost for a while there so luckily, they added their listing now.
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| The large restaurant with the fishes swimming in between the tables |
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| My absolutely delicious platter! |
My 2D3N itinerary goes like this:
Day 1: Dinner at Ichiran - Shopping at Canal city
Day 2: Tochoji temple - Ohori Park - Tenjin underground city - Dinner at Yatai stalls
Day 3: Marinoa city - Yahoo! Dome - Dinner at Chikae
And that's all for my Japan trip. I have explored
Hokkaido,
Tokyo,
Hakone, Miyajima, Hiroshima, but I am sure I will still go back again.
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Luv Japan. A place for annual pilgrimage.
ReplyDeleteHi Lizardo,
DeleteYeah lovely place.. But annual pilgrimage really? I prefer to go unexplored areas:)
Hi Lizardo,
DeleteYeah lovely place.. But annual pilgrimage really? I prefer to go unexplored areas:)
Really. Just different city/district if need be.
Delete