2005年01月17日
Fukuoka
As far as history goes, this entry is going to come up a bit short. I went to Fukuoka for a few days over New Years and while I was there I visited a castle (unknown origin/name) that had a very nice bridge leading to it (unknown bridge), a museum (next to the above unknown castle) that had some really interesting samurai armor and weapons and a temple. Fukuoka itself is much like other non-Tokyo cities is Japan: more unused space and greenery. It was New Years, so naturally very quiet. Also, in three days, I didn't see any other foreigners. Not even at the airport. Since it was a short trip, this is in no way a review/critique of the city and I am just using this as a place holder to share a few of the pictures that I was able to get.
Enjoy
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Very nice pics, So you are getting out and exploring Japan alot more? Very cool.
Liked your comment on how you didn’t see another foreigner for three days.
This was thirty years ago but I once went over a year without seeing another foreigner. I had been working a variety of jobs up in the country side of Yamaguchi. As a form of adaptation, I had modified my behavior to not expect such. Then one summer day we decided to take a day trip into Hiroshima. Walking around Peace Park I saw a white woman in the distance. My heart raced. The anticipation of actually speaking English, in combination with a constantly growing sense of home sickness, was driving me to approach this woman just to say hello. I approached this woman with a sense of trepidation. I felt I was about to cross a line. The Japanese thing about being impolite and out of order pushed me back. Influenced by anxiety and irrational thought I quickly turned and said hello. She looked at me in an odd manner as she replied “Guten tagen”. My emotions hit a wall. I felt a sense of embarrassment. I quickly walked away. I returned to the village I was living in and stayed another 6 months before I garnered sufficient courage to venture out again.
I return to Japan often. Just got back a few weeks ago. Took a side trip to Shizuoka and Kamakura. Expected to see lots of tourist. I was right. But when we went back to the Yamaguchi area, I expected to see few if any gaijin. Wrong........ infiltration even in pseudo remote areas has occurred.
Time Marches On......
Not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
Posted by: David at 2005年01月25日 01:20