I had no idea what time it was.

On the flight, in the hotel, walking around Fukuoka.

I just knew one thing: I was hungry.

And everywhere, too. I had a couple of Spam musubis on the flight over — including everything Hawaiian Airlines would give us to munch on — and an entire bag of Skittles. And we hadn’t even landed yet.

Arrival made it worse, with izakaya (Japanese tavern), ramen shops and convini (Japanese convenience stores) everywhere.

I couldn’t stop thinking about food.

And the food here in Fukuoka, the hub of Kyushu in southern Japan, is legendary. Even former Gov. George Ariyoshi, who’s family hails from Fukuoka, started to smile when I asked him where he likes to eat.

“I don’t know exactly because people always just take me around,” he said, grinning. “But Fukuoka has very good seafood.”

That prompted his wife, Jean, to come over and convince me to try the fugu (blowfish). “Oh, it’s very thin, it’s translucent, and it’s absolutely delicious,” she gushed.

Well, it’s confirmed then. We’re eating fugu.

So here’s what we did — and ate — on our first day in Fukuoka. If you haven’t eaten breakfast already, you might want to down a Snickers bar first.

Temples galore

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This stretch of city reminded me a lot of Chicago — except for the temples everywhere!

Read Melissa Chang’s version of our first day in Fukuoka at her blog, Urban Mix Plate.

Follow my eating adventures in Fukuoka on Twitter @thedailydish.