Fukuoka Special Journey
#OctoberTravelSupport
After visiting Osaka in the spring, I was planning another trip to Japan in the fall, but suddenly, I decided on a date in the sweltering heat of August.
Fukuoka, 3 nights and 4 days, September 26th to 29th.
When I first searched for flights, Korean Air seemed cheap and had a good schedule, but when I searched the next day after confirming my membership, there were none... ㅠ ㅠ
Unfortunately, I confirmed my flights with Eastar Jet, departing Incheon at 2:40 PM and departing Fukuoka at 10:55 AM.
I searched diligently on Airbnb, but there weren't any places with two bathrooms for four people, so I agonized over it. I ended up booking a place with two rooms attached. The location was great, next to Ohori Park, close to Tenjin, and close to a convenience store and supermarket.
Since there were four of us, I planned to use the Uber app for most of my travel, but it was a mess, with coupons not working properly. Still, it was a similar price to public transportation for four people, so I made good use of it.
On the first day, I visited Nagahama Yatai Alley, located near my accommodation. Located in front of the Nagahama Fish Market, it's less crowded with tourists and more locals, offering a more affordable price than Nakasu Yatai or Tenjin Yatai, and a more local atmosphere where Korean isn't spoken. Of course, the menu isn't geared towards tourists.
After grabbing a quick bite, I visited several liqueur shops to buy Hibiki and Royal Salute, but as expected, Fukuoka is expensive... ㅠㅠ
On the second day, I went to the Kirin Beer Factory tour, which I'd booked in advance in Korea, and rode the Hakatabune.
You can make a reservation on the Kirin Beer Factory website, or you can get a discounted round-trip pass at the information center on the second floor of Tenjin Station.
I tried to reserve the Hakatabune on the website, but the response was slow, making communication difficult. So, I used Instagram instead. The Nakasu River cruise and meal options start at 6,600 yen and offer a variety of menus. The all-you-can-drink option was 3,300 yen, which was a bit disappointing since you'd need to order five or six drinks to break even. We ordered the 6,600 yen nabe course, and the portions were generous, so we left some. Most of the guests we sat with were Korean tourists, and the two men at the next table seemed to have ordered incorrectly and got ripped off. The four of us ate and had a few drinks, and our bill came to around 30,000 yen. Our group came to 50,000 yen, so they had a hard time paying. My companions said the food kept coming and they had a lot of leftovers, so I think they ordered two courses.
On Saturday and Sunday, there was an event called Music City Tenjin at Tenjin Park, featuring singers and a flea market, so we just took a look around.
On the third day, we booked a Hita-Yufuin tour package to go to Yufuin, saving on transportation and making our trip more comfortable.
One regret was that we had booked the Hita Sapporo Beer Factory Theater through the website, but it didn't fit with our tour package, so we had to cancel. The theater runs from 10 to 40 minutes per hour, but the package schedule called for a 30-minute arrival at the Sapporo factory and a 30-minute tour, so it was impossible to fit that in.
For shopping, I planned to buy whiskey and a Kuru Toga Dive (automatic sharpener). I ended up paying a little more than I had planned for the Hibiki Blue Chow and Royal Salute 21 Year Old. They were out of stock and expensive. The Kuru Toga Dive was sold out... lol.
On the last day, I had a morning flight, so I headed straight to the airport to Korea!