九州の独り旅
Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka, Yanagawa
March, 2018
Exactly one year has passed since I took my three-week sojourn around Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands. I took advantage of the expansive Spring school holidays in Japan, lasting from the end of January to early April for Sophia University students, and figured correctly that—at 33 years old—this may be my last break this long for quite a while. Naturally, I brought my camera, taking hundreds upon hundreds of pictures along the way, which is a contributing factor as to why it’s taken me a full 365 days to post any of them.
There are just so many interesting scenes to share that I’m going to break this up into three posts. This first post covers my first two stops: Kita-Kyushu and Fukuoka.
Kita-Kyushu (formerly Kokura), like my hometown of Pittsburgh, is famed for its steel production. I learned, rather morbidly, that for that reason it was the original target of the “Fat Man” atomic bomb in 1945. Luckily for Kita-Kyushu—and tragically for Nagasaki—the weather was too cloudy on the day of the bombing to get a visual target.
After the war, the region’s steel production would begin to undercut that of the US. As it turned out, this was one major factor in the economic decline of Pittsburgh in the 1970s and 80s. In a way that’s tough to describe, it’s got a vibe closer to Pittsburgh than any place I’ve been in Japan. It’s also interesting to note that, as Kita-Kyushu’s steel industry is itself on the decline in the 21st century, city leaders are looking to Pittsburgh as a model for post-industrial economic recovery.
When I got into my hostel, I asked the friendly front desk girl for a good lunch spot, and she pointed me in the way of a small diner run by her sister and her friend. Then those two recommended a local sake bar, which I visited later in the evening only to again run into all three ladies. After we were good and tipsy, the front desk girl showed me her favorite bowl of Kita-Kyushu-style udon.
I stayed only one night before moving on to Fukuoka, the largest city on the island. It’s known for its beautiful women and its delicious ramen stands. I whole-heartedly approve of both.
About an hour train ride outside of Fukuoka lies a small town called Yanagawa, famous for its canals and boat rides. I took a lovely walk around the quiet town and ate some high-quality unagi (river eel, the local speciality).
On the way back to Fukuoka, I stopped at Dazaifu Tenmangu, a large Shinto shrine which apparently grants success to student who come to pray before important exams. I arrived too late to enter the inner shrine, which may be the reason I’ve failed the JLPT N1 twice since then…
Next up: Nagasaki, Battleship Island, and onsen towns!