Fukuoka, Japan
We arrived in Japan and went through immigration and into the customs area. Fab was in line in front of me and was through in moments but I was picked to have my bag searched. The official didn’t just want to poke around in my bag, but wanted to empty everything out of every pocket. I don’t think this would have bothered me so much had I not spent AGES the previous day packing everything perfectly into my rucksack. After dropping socks all over the floor, and then being allowed to cram everything back into my bag, I sourly exited the port into the waiting room where Fab and I had to find our way to our hostel.
We were looking at a local map when a European couple approached us asking if we knew how to get to the train station. We weren’t sure but had to get their ourselves so found a tourist information booth and asked for advice from there. The lady told us to get the bus that stops right outside the station so the four of us waited at the bus stop. When the bus came we hopped on board, taking a ticket from the automatic dispensing machine near the door. This had a number printed on it which represents the area where you boarded to show the driver when you pay and exit the bus.
After a simple journey, with an automated voice over in Japanese and English telling us the upcoming stops, we found our way to the train station. We paid our money and alighted from the bus.
TIP: An interesting thing about Fukuoka train station (where the ferry port is located) is that it is commonly mistaken for a different station way up north with the same name. Fukuoka (for the ferry) train station is actually called Hakata station.
As our directions were from the train station we said goodbye to the couple and went on our way. After a 20 minute walk in the stifling humidity, and getting a bit lost, we made it to our hostel and checked in. Because of the insane prices of accommodation in Japan we had resorted to staying in dorms or twin rooms instead of double private rooms, so we had a bunk bed each. The beds were so soft, with memory foam matresses and pillows and the air conditioning was a real treat. There was even hairdryers provided for use.
After relaxing for a few hours we headed out to explore the local area, including the supermarket and to check out for nearby restaurants. We were pretty tired so just had a quick snack for dinner and went to sleep early, enjoying a super comfortable night of rest.
