Downtown Fukuoka City: A Feel All Its Own

The view from a pedestrian bridge nearby our hotel, Bizfort Hakata.

After a tired night, Ayumi and I woke up and started getting ready for the day. I had just barely beat a typhoon when coming here, so my first experience of Japan has truly been "authentic," to say the least. We walked the city streets in what was, at the time, a mild wind and rain, and did some shopping.

The idea here was to take it easy for the first day. And maybe have Ayumi buy me some swanky, stylish Japanese clothes. Of course, only half of that worked. Even the largest sizes available in the stores were comically tight on me. Guess I'll have to go to the Japanese equivalent of "Big and Tall."

Also, check out this out. A part of the larger Tenjin shopping area, Solaria Plaza has some swanky bathrooms.

Luckily, heads are big everywhere. In the name of our trip to Miyazaki, which will possibly be quite hot and sunny, I got a nice new hat which should offer minor respite at least. Ayumi got a hat too--her first one! And if you ask me, she rocks it like a jazz pianist.

The amazing Ayumi,
and some wonderful
mentaiko omrice!

For lunch we went to a small shop called Gokoku specializing in omrice. That's short for "omelette rice," which is simply some kind of deluxe omelette over a plate of special rice. Both the omelette and the rice can have special ingredients mixed in.

We had mentaiko omrice, which has marinated cod eggs mixed into the rice, giving it a spicy flavor and red coloration. Amazingly savory and delightful, and something I recommend to even people without a well-developed Japanese palette for its simple, slightly cheesy flavor.

To boot, Japanese cuisine has some of the best omelettes out there. Fluffy and light, with extremely high-quality eggs--you're able to watch them fall apart as you cut into them, and they simply melt in your mouth.

Some of those cute things.

After some more shopping, during which I got the two latest Murakami books (色彩を持たない多崎つくると、彼の巡礼の年 and 女のいない男たち, the latter of which has no English version), we then stopped at a place called Nana's Green Tea to get exactly what you would guess. Delicious green tea on the rocks, with freshly-whipped thick cream, and molasses poured over the top.

Finally, we caught up with Ayumi's friends for dinner at an amazing restaurant called Hyoutei Hakata where, among other things, I ate still-moving (but dead) squid. The squid comes in two parts. First, they leave the squid intact while you eat the mantle and fins. Then, once it's eaten, the plate is removed and the rest is fast fried, tempura style.

The a is pronounced "ah"
in Japanese, meaning
this says "tic toc." But,
you know: Tic Tacs.

It's been an ongoing realization that continues to balance itself on both extremes: first, I realize I can actually speak Japanese. I can make myself known, and express my opinions and exchange conversations. Then shortly after that, I realize that I'm probably about the equivalent of an elementary school student in terms of actual ability.

But regardless of how I feel about it, the fact of the matter is that this tool I've been developing for years has found its home at last, and I've been able to make proper use of it.

Ayumi's friends, who know my completely-secret plans, jumped on the first opportunity to grill me as soon as Ayumi left for the restroom. They asked me my favorite things about her.

To avoid getting sappy I won't describe my more expository answer, but I will say that they seemed happy with what I had to say.

Ate this still-moving squid! First you eat the  mantle, then once it's gone the rest is taken away, tempura-fried,
and brought back to you. Also note Saori-san's expert photobombing.

Sho, Tomoko, Marie, Yuki, Kanae, Yuki,
Haruna, Ayumi and Me, Yukako (with the cute little Yuzu), Shinji, and Saori.
Thanks to Haruna for reserving this fantastic place for us!

Finally, Ayumi and I made our way back to the hotel. Jet lag has been hard to overcome so far, though I feel its grip loosening on me. We collapsed onto the bed and I fell asleep immediately, enjoying the relief given by the AC. And I slipped into a dream forgotten to me now, but one that served to remind me that none of this is a dream: it's all real.

Finally.