New Otani Hotel Hakata Fukuoka

... 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!<br><br>-M<br>

... environments for advanced robotic technology.<br>3) Refining the growth of robotics related industries.<br>"<br><br>It also aims to:<br><br>- "exhibit the latest robotics and AI technology to the public and contribute to the future researchers and ventures in this field"<br>- "keep a focused eye on market developments of the robotics-industry, offering support where possible to new venture companies"<br>- "cultivate the ground work for the robotics industry in Fukuoka City by ...

WON'T YOU TAKE ME TO RETRO TOWN?*<br><br>Kitakyushu is the 11th(?) largest city in Japan, but, aside from Space World, it gets hardly a mention in my collection of guidebooks, maybe because it has heavy industry, including a large steel plant. Surfing the internet to discover something worth visiting in Kitakyushu, I happened to find a PDF of a guidemap for Retro Town Mojiko. I couldn't resist! Mojiko is literally at ...

... a pottery center because of deposits of clay that produced pure white porcelain, and because Korean experts were brought to the area. Reports vary about the circumstances under which the Korean experts arrived, but there appears to be some ambiguity about whether their arrival in Japan was voluntary. <br><br>The old pottery village just outside Imari is actually the remnants of a secret government installation hidden at the end of a ...

... and experience was worth it!<br><br>The next day we boarded the Beetle - a high speed Jet Foil Boat which lifts out of the water and skims on ski-like foils. It took less than 3 hours to do 120 miles across the sea to South Korea which is pretty quick. It felt like you were on a place or a train but was even smoother, so no sea sickness, even after having an early morning beer - well, it was free!!

... Dome. There wasn't a game that night, so I took some pictures and walked around the outlet mall they had over there. As it got later in the day, I decided to get a few beers and a bite to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe, just outside the Stadium. The Hard Rock Cafe was another feel of home. The staff was full of a bunch of beautiful English speaking girls, that were either half asian, or just really good at English. One ...

... and purchased a ticket and it cost over $200. Planning a trip to other parts of Japan in advance can save 30% or more if you purchase your tickets outside of Japan. I originally purchased my tickets for the fast ferry (The Beetle2) from Busan S Korea to Fukuoka including the Korail Train KTX to get to Busan and then the Shinkansen from Fukuoka to Hiroshima for one way which was only $130. So round ...

... thing I did was buy an umbrella. I think there must be more umbrellas than mobile phones in this country, with good cause as it does rain quite a lot. In fukoaka it was lashing down so I made my way to the hostel now carrying an umbrella along with my backpack and guitar. I had booked into the KhaoSan hostel run by a Japanese guy called Kenta. This is a great hostel and by Japanese standards quite reasonably priced. The first people I met in the Hostel were Ross from ...

... on our way. I never liked ramen in the states, but the stuff they served me at the ramen house in Fukuoka was pretty good, if in need of a little kick. After all this we decided it was getting a bit late to head out into the countryside to see a temple. We grabbed a taxi and headed back to hang out in the room for awhile. There our conversation took an odd turn, and I saw a really dark side of Josh. I had been talking about my concerns with K.L.I. and coming to Korea, as I have to ...

... was still very fine. I think the Germans and Swiss should come to Japan to learn how to make more health conscious chocolates! You may notice, I am cutting this diary short, because I am fearing that I won`t catch up anymore, and I am so exhausted now, that I fear that soon I might have to stop diary writing altogether. There is one more event that is worth mentioning on that day that we saw. All day long ...