Our Return to Fukuoka

We returned to Fukuoka during Golden Week with the hopes of doing several attractions we learned about while we were in Fukuoka the first time (a few weeks prior). We only got to one. We arrived too late for one; another was a garden and I was having a lot of allergies; and the rest we couldn’t go to because we got heavily rained on.

On the other hand, being in Fukuoka during Golden Week did have its perks. For one, we went into a stationery store and were able to get and decorate free Instax (polaroid) photos. Walking through the streets, we stumbled upon a few fairs and one very long parade.

On one of the nicer days, we took a ferry over to Shika Island, which forms the point and natural breakwater to Hakata Bay.

While waiting for the ferry, we noticed that there was a nearby stage where people were performing, as well as a large ship that the public seemed to be boarding… so we went over to investigate. The Japanese Coast Guard had their ship PLH 22 open for a public tour — so we decided to go aboard!

As seen in the photo on the right, people could get suited up in harnesses and flown along a zip line for a short 10 meters. The kids really enjoyed it and even some adults got in on the fun. We were going to do it too, but a queue formed and we had to get going to board our ferry.

Shika Island is a popular driving, motorcycling and bicycling route. It’s possible to bike around the island, but bike rentals are quite expensive and it was quite windy so we decided just to visit the shrine.

The Shikaumi Shrine is small but beautiful. Nestled in the woods, there is a calm grace emanating from it. After visiting several modern temples made out of concrete and steel, it was nice to be absorbed once again in traditional Japanese carpentry.

The Shikaumi Shrine is dedicated to three gods of the sea, and there are boxes of sand to spread in prayer.

On another day, Yuki had a craving for fluffy pancakes so we went to a shop to try some out. This store only serves fluffy pancakes three times a day, with only 30 orders available per sitting. The pancakes very rich and we had trouble finishing them because of all the sugar. They tasted slightly undercooked, but weren’t bad. Stacked three high, they would jiggle when the plate was moved. We got a kick out of shaking the plate and watching the tower oscillate like a damped building.