It was a whirlwind 15 days in Japan — one that took me from Fukuoka in Kyushu to the bright lights of Tokyo to the temples in Kyoto to the sandy beaches of Chigasaki.
I did a lot — but there’s still so much more to discover.
I guess that means I’ll be heading back to Japan.
But for now, here are my favorite memories of this trip:
1. Fresh strawberries
Big props to Hawaiian Airlines for sending us to Fukuoka and allowing us to have these awesome memories.
8 Comments
OMG does this bring back a ton of awesome memories. First, I love the toilets in Japan. One day I will have a Toto toilet in my house. I was in Japan when it was cold, February, and no way to express the pleasure of dining in a little hole in the wall place that was cold and having the pleasure of sitting on one of these things. Every hotel I stayed in had one. They are amazing. Second, I loved the good food in convenience stores, you sure don’t get that here. Third, I ate at some amazing places in Roppongi Hills. Fourth, it was so easy to go everywhere in Japan. and the best part was the trains are ALWAYS… repeat ALWAYS on time. The shinkanzen I took frm Tokyo to Fukuoka was on time to the minute. To put this in perspective it is ~ 6 hours. The train from Raleigh to New York is frequently 6 hours late. But my absolute favorite thing about these photos is the cleanliness of the streets. You don’t notice until you’ve been there a while and go back home. Thanks for a lovely travel experience Cat, job very well done.
Hello Cat!
Welcome home, the strawberries in Japan are the best in the world. I went to a strawberry farm in Izu were we able to pick and eat all the strawberries that we could in the short time that we were there. We couldn’t take any with us so I picked and ate until I couldn’t eat anymore.
great recap of a whirlwind tour. amazing that you barely scratched the surface of the country.
i didn’t really realize it until you noted it in your pics, but the sidwalks in Fukuoka are very wide. i just had that “aha” moment. after visiting that city a few times, I only now realize it and won’t be able to view its streets the same way again.
oh, next time you’re in Tokyo: Omoide Yokocho at night for a late night drink/snack/meal. so awesome.
also, you noted that 10 million people use the tokyo trains every year. should that be every day? maybe it’s “10 million people use the subway every time matt decides to ride it”
I finally got a chance to catch up with all your Japan blogs, and I really enjoyed them. You made the most of all your travel (AND eating) opportunities – I’m jealous!
Now I really want to visit Fukuoka and Kamakura. And eat at least half the new and interesting stuff that you did.
Thanks for reading them! I’m just getting to all the responses, too. Glad it inspired you to go to Fukuoka. I’m heading back next year, FOR SURE!
BTW, if you really like food on a stick, you should go to the Iowa State Fair. The variety of foods they serve on sticks is a point of pride – they even have a list of vendors that serve them.
Iowa does food on a stick? Who knew!