Port 14 Fukuoka, Japan

by Ed · May 1, 2024

Greetings! My last “Aisatsu”!

We made our way to Fukuoka, Japan, on 1 April, 2024. It was partly cloudy, but the clouds were burning off!

After a short ride into the harbor we found our dock home for the day! Nothing exciting.

It didn’t take long for a rat maze to be assembled! We didn’t realize how confusing this would become. In the morning passengers went off in the far side of the maze. In the afternoon we returned in the nearside – the gangway had to change mid-morning due to tides!

We do not have an excursion planned for today. This is a late add-on port, no excursions appeal to us, and we decide we just want a quiet day to go shopping! We take the shuttle bus that is provided to its destination near the Tenjin shopping area! There is lots of shopping in this area!

This building catches our eyes as we leave the bus drop-off in search of Tenjin Mall. The entire roofline is covered in trees and bushes!

Joy finds a saxophonist to hang out with! I always thought she liked musicians!

This beautiful lady is dancing in a plaza behind a hotel. The plaza is lines with astro turf. Not very appealing. Still she dances!

The most unique water fountain I have ever seen is here! Fukuoka boasts “You can always drink safe and fresh water in Fukuoka City.”

We find the Tenjin Station and Tenjin Mall attached to the station, and we spend quite a while navigating it and looking for shops that carry the items Joy is specifically looking for.

This place is amazing and confusing! But we have some success! Hey, we’re here for an adventure! And we get it!

We stop for a Coke break at a little hole-in-the-wall. Too bad we weren’t hungry yet! The food smelled good!

Leaving the Tenjin Mall we decide to explore a covered street we spied earlier.

We find this amazing float! Every year there is a Hakuta Gion Yamasaka festival. Amazing floats like this are carried down the street in the festival! This is only a 80% model, so the real thing is bigger! It is stunning, and it is amazing to think people can carry and balance this beast!

We begin our trek back to the bus to the ship, but instead of hopping the subway we decide to walk along the river and see the sights! Joy enjoys the sunshine!

The river Muromi is placid and beautiful! It is lined with cherry trees. The tulips on the bridge are the coup de grâce!

The cherry blossoms aren’t in full bloom yet, but what we see is still beautiful!

We stumble into a 7-11 convenience store and remember this is our last chance to try a Japanese 7-11 egg salad sandwich that Ray Carr has been crowing about! We get our sandwich and a Coke and find a bench! Yes, it is yummy! I think the reason is the Japanese mayonnaise called “Kewpie” is extra sweet! Warning: do not try this at any other 7-11 – just go to a Japanese 7-11!