February 15, 2010

Fukuoka: A Beach in Winter

Although I was in Fukuoka from 20th to 26th January, I spent only 2 full days in the city thanks to the Northern Kyushu Rail Pass (Y7000), which we tried to maximise by taking as many different types of trains and visiting as many places as possible.

1 of the 2 full days we had in Fukuoka city was spent exploring Canal City and taking a long afternoon nap in our couchsurfing host’s place, followed by an amazing live bar experience.

The other day, we spent exploring the Momochi Beach area in Fukuoka.

How does a beach in winter look like?

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Well, like a beach in any other season it seems. It actually looks rather nice. Except for the fact that it was freaking cold, thanks to some cold front blowing into Japan that day. The winds were really strong, and I was secretly freezing but trying not to show it, especially when a group of guys about 16-17 years old suddenly came jogging past, some clad in shorts. Apparently they are part of some school sports team, but training in winter in such strong winds wearing shorts?! Well, they’re Japanese… which explains everything…

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Don’t be fooled by the clear, sunny sky. I assure you it was frosty and billowing.

There is a nice pathway that runs alongside the beach, so sand won’t get in your shoes.

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Pictures of the beachfront area. The tall distinctive building is Fukuoka Tower, a 234m high observatory that could have been the symbol of Fukuoka, if not for the city’s extremely famous ramen (but more about that in another post).

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The dome-shaped structure in the photo below is the Yahoo! Dome, another famous building in Fukuoka. A baseball stadium.

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Some luxurious JAL hotel.

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Oh no, more of those young kids jogging in winter on the sand:

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There has to be some law somewhere against this…

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Some beachfront drinking-eating-shopping area with Western-inspired design and architecture.

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Cafes that look like they belong in some other beachside resort, just not in Japan. Correspondingly expensive prices to match.

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Fortunately there’s a free public rest area nearby that’s enclosed, with a great view of the beach. Stopped by for a while and had lunch.

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