Friday, March 01, 2024

Northern Kyushu Trip 2023 - Day 4 - Morning Breakfast at Hotel and Day Trip to Kumamoto by Shinkansen Part 1

Our first morning breakfast in Fukuoka ,was the breakfast included in our hotel stay at Prince Smart Inn, Fukuoka, Japan. There is a small restaurant on Level 1 of the hotel (hotel reception is on Level 2).
There's few selection of burgers for us to choose that comes free with our hotel stay. We can top up for other selection with a fee. We can dine in the restaurnat or takeaway.

The breakfast really was good just the right portion for me. I had the ham and egg cheese burger.


After breakfast, we headed to Hakata Station to take the Shinkansen for our day trip to Kumamoto. As we had bought the 3 day pass on Day 2 in Nagasaki, we just need to reserve our return trip as we had only reserve for the going trip but not the return trip in Nagasaki when we first purchased the pass. It is very easy to make the reservation for our seats for the Shinkansen. Just need to fill in the form with the time that we taking the train and the dates and present out main JR Kyushu pass.  As it was morning, there's not a long queue at the Rail Pass Counter.

There's also locker to store luggages at Hakata Station.

This our Shinkansen seat ticket to Kumamoto 

Before entering the Shinkansen Station , we looked at the information board. Our train is on Track 15. So it is really very easy to take the Shinkansen, as all information are in English too.

There's information on where to queue. Even if you queue wrong, can always walked inside the train to your seats.

The train is very clean and comfortable.

Depending on the train, the journey could take from 30 mins to 1 hour to reach from Hakata Station to Kumamoto Station. My train journey was around 30 mins.

Finally, we reached Kumamoto Station.  Kumamon is a mascot created by the government of Kumamoto Prefecture Japan. It was created to attract tourists to the region after the Kyushu Shinkansen line opened.





 

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Northern Kyushu Trip 2023 - Day 3 -Canal City Hakata Japan

From our hotel, we asked the hotel staff how to go to Canal City. Canal City is a big shopping centre with lots of shops and nearby there is a canal where there's rows of food stalls known as Yatai.

The hotel staff told us Canal City is very near the hotel only 10 mins walk, hahaha, but I did we took more than 20 mins, seems like an easy walk a straight road but we lost our way half way walking and need seek help of the local. 

Most of the locals we met were so helpful and point the direction for us to continue our walk . One of the local actually accompanied us all the way to Canal City. Wow really amazing and helpful. So thankful. Cause was evening and not easy getting a taxi. We actually walked back to the hotel, the same way from where we came after dining at Canal City hahaha.
Inside Canal City is a small canal and a huge fountain.

We ventured outside Canal City to the nearby canal to try to take our dinner along the canal.  Along the canal are food stalls that sells different food mainly Japanese cusine. But is hard to find empty seats. Customers sit around the stalls, there's no extra table along the canal. The wait for empty seats at the food stalls easily need to wait 1 to 2 hours especially during dinner time. We decided to head back to Canal City for our dinner.


Walk along the canal  

Food stalls next to the canal with limited seatings and long wait especially dinner time.

Monday, February 05, 2024

Northern Kyushu Trip 2023 - Day 3 - How to go to Nanzoin Temple, Fukuoka from Hakata Station

After depositing our luggages with our hotel, we went lunch at Hakata Station and then decided to go sightseeing as the check in time is 3 pm at the hotel.
From Hakata Station, we took the JR Train at Track 8 to Yoshizuka Station (one station away from Hakata Station only) - see below photo (circled)

We then change another train to Nanzoin Temple. The fare is free, as we had purchased 3 days JR Kyushu Pass, we just slot the pass at the gantry in and out. Otherwise the fare will be 380 yen.

At Yoshizuka Station go to Track 4 to take train to Kidonanzoin-mae Station

The temple train station is very quiet and not crowded.

It is very easy to find the temple, from the train station, we could see the temple and huge buddha on the hill top. We just walked from the train station to this bridge and just follow the signs.


Admission is free of charge but there's a dress code before entering the temple.





Nanzoin Temple in Fukuoka is home to a huge statue of the Reclining Buddha (Nehanzo) which claims to be the largest bronze statue in the world. 




Had a wonderful time taking lot of photos of the buddha. Very peaceful and quiet place for meditation.
Be sure to eat the ice cream from the shop facing the reclining buddha. It seems to be the best ice cream haha, after travelling the whole day and did a lot of walking. the ice cream really takes away all the tiredness.

Walking back to the train station, a very small station.


Dont worry about the empty train station, it was only hubby and me at the train station at the time of photo taking, soon we were joined by more people coming down from the temple.


Taking the train back from Kidonanzoin-mae Station to Yoshizuka Station, we then walked to Track 3 at Yoshizuka Station to take the train back to Hakata Station. 

Information on the track number is correct at the time of posting this post, please double check with train station staff on the track number incase of changes in future.

 

Saturday, February 03, 2024

Northern Kyushu Trip 2023 - Day 3 - Prince Smart Inn Hakata Hotel

Our hotel is only a short walk from Hakata Station. From the front of this station, we just had to cross over diagonally to opposite side and walked towards the park.

Looked for the west exit and cross diagonally opposite and when see the Meiji Park (a very small park), crossed diagonally across the park and will be able to see Lawson Supermaket which is just next to the Prince Smart Inn Hakata.

It is a very small hotel but very clean and new.


We were early and could not check in but we managed to deposit our luggage at the locker (free of charge for hotel guests). For large suitcase  can deposit with the front desk (located at level 2 of the hotel).


I was too busy with my itinerary and some urgent matters that I need to attend, forgot to take photos of hotel room.

I booked my hotel accomodation with Agoda , the photos of the hotel in Agoda website is exactly what we experienced in Prince Smart Inn, Hakata .

Agoda was very useful in helping us get all the documents that we need to claim from our travel insurance as we had to leave the hotel urgently after only2 nights instead of 4 nights. More in coming posts about the insurance claim.

It is very important to buy travel insurace as we do not know what urgent matters will pop up suddenly.



 

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Northern Kyushu Trip 2023 - Day 3 - Taking the Shinkansen from Nagasaki to Fukuoka

After breakfast, we checked out of our hotel in Nagasaki and walked next building to Nagasaki Statiion. Today we were going to a new hotel in Fukuoka and spend 4 nights in Fukuoka (but sadly we only made it 2 nights stay cause of urgent matter in Singapore and we had to leave Japan urgently, will post about it later.)
The first thing we need to enter the Nagasaki Station to board the Shinkansen is the main pass (that we bought earlier on arrival in Nagasaki). We just slided the main pass at the train station gantry and enter.

We are going to Fukuoka  but the Shinkansen do not go direct to Fukuoka Station from Nagasaki Station. Instead we took the Shinkansen from Nagasaki Station to Takeo Onsen Station (30 minutes) then we exit from the Shinkansen and walked over to the opposite side of the platform and enter the express train. The whole transfer is only 3 minutes so there's no time for photo taking. We have to hurry and cross over to the opposite side (same platform number). 
At Nagasaki Station, it is very easy, just looked out which track or platform to board the Shinkansen. For our journey it is track 12.

Remember to reserve your seat earlier as well as your big luggage. For shinkansen trains, there is a need to reserve large luggage too but there's no need to reserve large luggage for the other types of trains (express, rapid, local, etc)

The space behind the last seats can store large luggages and there's a rack to put large luggages too.

For smaller luggages, no need to reserve for shinkansen trains, just put overhead storage.


The shinkansen looked very new and very comfortable but sadly it does not reach Fukuoka directly.

After 30 mins ride in the Shinkansen from Nagasaki, we change train at Takeo Onsen Station, the train is the electric train and not as fast as the Shinkansen and not as quiet too. We need ride another one hour from Takeo Onsen Station to Fukuoka Station.

The seats are very spacious and can place luggages between the front seat and the seat we sat.

This is the train we took from Takeo Onsen to Fukuoka. Too chaotic, did not take photo of the whole train lol.