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.

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.

 

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.