Hakata JBB Hotel Fukuoka

... The next morning I wandered the side streets and lanes, and found myself at Yusida Shrine, welcomed by a Nandi on the left (later learned there is also a sacred cow/patron god in Shinto)

Then to the blast of the main streets, and ticket on to Yufuin. (I fly out of FUK, so will explore more of the city when I return).

... like? I have no friggin' idea. I've been trying to research it on the internet but have come up with very little as to what kind of life we'll be living there. Which is one of the reasons I've decided to revive the travel blog and maybe somewhere down the line, someone else is moving to Salalah and will actually have some idea of what it's like before they get there. Here's hoping it's good!

-M

... the little ad said at the bottom of the 'NOW Fukuoka' guide map I picked up in Hiroshima. I inquired at the Information Center upon arriving at the train station in Fukuoka... my LAST stop in Japan; my LAST DAY in Japan!

"It's open till 6 pm tonight," the assistant informed me.

I checked the time. It was not even 2 pm yet.

"I can make it to the hostel, catch a bus, and get there with several hours to spare," I thought to myself excitedly. "I might actually get ...

... has one of the more posh unit bathrooms--a ceramic tile interior, separate faucets for sink and tub/shower (instead of the usual faucet that swings), and a relatively low step into the room. By the way, adjacent to the train station, there is a bus station which has got to be the narrowest bus station in any major city, and there is a supersize Daiso 100-yen store above the bus station.

*Apologies to Lipps, Inc.

We stayed in Fukuoka for one night as we were getting the Beetle at 9am in the morning from the port here. We knew it was a bit of a party town and had many street stalls so went out in the evening for a wander. We walked for miles but ended up back at the first street stall we saw as it had a good view and seemed busy enough that it was ok to eat in!! Sat down and got noodles as we couldn't decide ...

Naja gesehen haben wir sie noch nicht. Wir haben nur bemerkt, das hier die Leute nicht so freundlich sind. Andi hält einer die Tür auf (wartet extra auf sie ne halbe minute) und erntet nichtmal ein Kopfnicken... nani sore????
Schön sind die Frauen hier auch nicht dafür gibts hier Hostclubs und das einen nach den anderen und das für beider Geschlechter....Mal schauen ob ich morgen ...

... we returned to the train station area and visited the Umeda Sky Building, a gate-shaped office tower. It had a viewing deck, so that is where we went. The view was really good and the weather was fine as well, creating better views. The last day in Kyoto we (the Spanish guys and me again) took the train to Nara. I was expecting more so-so temples but I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it had also something to do with the fact that Nara was a rather small town and the ...

... down. This creates a sensation of pins and needles and a slightly dizzying feeling. Then, after a couple minutes, one heads back to the hot water and repeats the process as many times as desired. The feeling of reentering that hot water, as well as the overall experience, is indescribably relaxing; it feels like your body is melting. I recommend it! Since Sarah and I were traveling by the same agency, we ended up being in the same hotel. So we decided to meet up and hit the ...

... home. I became aware that I was learning more by reading the first chapter of it, entitled 'most commonly used words and phrases', than I had in six weeks of previous Korean language study and would likely learn in ten weeks at K.L.I. At one point a guard came up to me and asked me what I was doing there in Japanese. I was able to answer that my friend was inside. He said okay and went about his business. It was a small victory, but I was happy to be able to communicate, if even just ...

Climate continues to be really nice. In the early mornings it is still quite chilly. Then by late morning and into the afternoon it gets pretty hot. In the session rooms, airconditioning is needed as temperatures in the language school do exceed 25C. In the early evenings, it is a really nice temperature. Warm and sunny. By sunset it cools down, and in the evenings and ...