Fukuoka, Japan 🇯🇵 2024

Date: 27th October 2024

Travelled: Hiroshima to Fokuoka

Visited: Kintaikyo Bridge and Shimonoseki Seafood Market

Stayed: Comfort Hotel, Fokuoka

Budget: 21 days @ $XX per day

The lemmings report for another day on the bus at 8.30. I think maybe the Japanese hotel breakfasts are starting to get to everyone. There is only been canned fruit salad for the last couple of days, if that. The scrambled eggs which are cold certainly isn’t how your mum did them and the little boy cocktail frankfurters have lost there charm. The bread which may or may not appear is actually a slice of bread quartered. That’s a 2 inch square piece of bread.

There has been reports of scurvy at the back of the bus, but that’s not confirmed.

Serena tells us where off to visit Kintaikyo Bridge, one of the oldest and most elegant in Japan. Two hours through the Japanese countryside and we arrive.

First constructed in 1673, consisting of 5 arched spans, it’s 210m in length. According to the blurb sections have been lost during floods or typhoons, but they whack it back up.

We spend 60 minutes wandering the bridge and the parklands on the other bank.

We walk past the numerous ice cream shops and wander the parklands. Yes we weaken and get an ice cream on our way back.

Back on the bus we continue on to Shimonoseki the westernmost city on Japan’s main island, Honshu. We were originally scheduled to have lunch at Iriri Sanzoku but being Sunday, Serena suggests changing to the seafood market at Shimonoseki.

Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

At this point in our travels in Japan we just go with the flow. More driving changing motorways and a complex interchange and we arrive at Shimonoseki. From the waterfront a great view of the bridge linking Honshu and Kyushu.

Serena is always bargain conscious, telling us the Karato Fish Market and stalls close at 2pm and as it’s now 1.30 they will start marking down their seafood products. We jump in and bag a plate of sushi and another of cooked mung fish. Find ourselves a spot overlooking the water and have lunch.

Karato is famous for blowfish (puffer fish) sushi. As you know they are poisonous, Serena tells us with confidence only specially certified cooks can prepare and sell it. Obviously we didn’t try it, but Michael whose picture appears above did. Looks worried to me.

Walking around after lunch we found a Whale Museum ?