Tag Archives: japan
Year of the Monkey
猴 | 申
Fukuoka, Jan 2, 2016
Hakata Station.
From the station we walked south towards Minoshima Market street. 
The market was closed but we found:a neko guarding an alley
little gardens
doors
yatai parking 
more doors. 
Later, thought about having some chewy Ika イカ.
Had some noodles instead
and gyoza 餃子.
Headed north to Fukuoka Tower. We merged into a crowd of women fresh out of a concert by boy band Kanjani Eight performing near by at the Yafuoku! Dome. They all carried bags printed with the band’s lips-and-sharp-teeth logo.
Left a mustached octopus behind. 
Observed.
Love locks at “lover’s sanctuary”.
Love for sale. ¥1,000
Robo-bins loitering at Nishijin-eki 西新駅.
We had our last pork ramen at the yatai street by the Nakagawa 那珂川. A group of Koreans (kankoku) arrived. The girl in the group said the cook was bery handsome in Korean. Her male friends studied him and agreed. The Japanese cook understood and blushed, and tried to look cool. The ramen wasn’t as good as the night before.
Fukuoka New Year’s Day
New Year’s day. Students near Hakata station.
Had delicious croissants from Il Forno Mignon at Hakata station.
Komainu 狛犬 at Sumiyoshi shrine 住吉神社. 
Statue of an ancient sumo wrestler revisited.
Komainu.
A dog and his master waiting in line at the shrine.
An older couple arrived at the shrine with their respective matching pups. 
Canal City.
Kawabata shopping arcade. 
We were all wrestlers in Japan once.
ネコ. Ca ca catters mccatters ©. 
ACROS.
A little papillon near Watanabe dori.
Had the creeping sensation of being followed.
Found some yatai 屋台 at the edge of the city. I got excited about a yakuza-looking guy hanging out near the joint that had part of his little finger missing. She was more excited about the food.
Some of the best ramen noddles I’ve had under a plastic tarp.
Walked the ruins of Fukuoka castle in the dark.
Headed back to our Hakata base. 
Fukuoka 福岡 December 31, 2015
Waiting in line for steak and pork intestines. Underground near Hakata station 博多駅.
Our apartment near Hakata station.
A man carrying a ceremonial, evil-destroying arrow Hama Yumi purchased from a near by Shino temple (Wakahachimangu 若八幡, Gion station 祇園駅). 
We had takoyaki たこ焼き and other snacks from street vendors while we waited in line outside a Shinto temple.
Statues of Kappa playing in a waterfall. Tenjin Chikagai under Watanabe dori. 
Watanabe dori. 
Ramen tickets.
Tonkotsu ramen, our last meal of the year.
Claw cranes near Solaria. 
Japanese Cinema watching list 1
See films by:
Yasujiro Ozu //
via wikimedia
Tokyo Story 1953
Floating Weeds 1959
(see tatami shot)
Akira Kurosawa //
via wikimedia
Hayao Miyazaki //
Takeshi Kitano //
Hana-Bi はなび 1997
Kenji Mizoguchi //
via wikimedia
The Life of Oharu 1952
Ugetsu 1953
Kaneto Shindo //
The Naked Island 1960
More directors to see: Koji Wakamatsu, Nagisa Oshima, Kon Ichikawa, Shohei Imamura,.
Protected: Norwegian Wood
Asian Highway 1
Asian Highway 1 (AH1).
via wikimedia
Japan > Korea > China > Hong Kong > Vietnam > Cambodia > Thailand > Myanmar > India > Bangladesh > India > Pakistan > Afghanistan > Iran > Turkey > connects with European route E80.
Distance: 20,557 KM.
Part of the Great Asian Highway.
via wikimedia
Fukuoka tower
Ramen， biru and odeng by the Nakagawa river 那珂川.
Tonkotsu Fukuoka Ramen
