Japan on a Friday: Miyajuma to Fukuoka - monument hopping and wallet dropping

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Myajima - one of the most Kodak'd moments in Japan. 


The incredible Good Samaritan Asako

I know when it's time to wind down a trip. I start making mistakes. 

Today, I left my wallet beside one of the computers at the hostel in Hiroshima. I was so pleased with myself at a) wringing the last possible bit of mileage out of my 7-day railpass by jumping on a train to Kyushu, Japan's most western province and home of the Ramen Stadium, b) arriving at the Khaosan Hostel by the rather early check-in time of 8.30am, and c) planning to inhale a bowl of the famous Fukuoka ramen. 

Then - just as I was went to pay for some local goodies at Hakarta Station aka Fukuoka, the farthest point you can reach by Shinkansen on the JR Rail Pass - I discovered my goof. My wallet was sitting back in Hiroshima, beside a computer in the hostel internet cafe.

I hoped. 

I've learned that when the s*** hits the fan, you take things one step at a time:  I got to the hostel in Fukuoka. I explained my plight. I then called the hostel back in Hiroshima. Yes, they found my wallet, and by the way, since we have your wallet, you still have our room key! Doh! 

Next, I had to choose between staying in Fukuoka, and offering my memorized credit card details as payment, or returning immediately to Hiroshima - thankfully a mere 1.5 hour trip at 207 km/h by bullet train. 

Unfortunately, hostel rules prohibited parroting a memorized credit card as payment. So, I made the very unusual step of panhandling receptionist in the nicest possible way. Would she loan me enough money to pay for a night at her hostel, go slurp a bowl of the famous Fukuoka ramen, and return to Hiroshima the next day? If not, there was little point in staying a moment longer in Fukuoka. 

Extremely graciously, the receptionist Asako thought about it for a moment and then loaned me 2000 yen, - about $22 USD - out of her own purse. "I'm gonna loan you the money, because it it happened to me I'd want that," she said simply. So as a result, I was able to avail myself to the mothership restaurant of the famous ramen den, Ippudo, less than a block away. 
 
Ippudo proudly announcing its New York location

Yaaaaas... this is the original branch of the recently-opened Ippudo in NYC. Except the ramen in NYC is about $11-15 a bowl, and here, it was under $10. All I can say is, if you eat food with visible pork fat floating in anything, it's going to be outrageously tasty no matter how lousy a cook you are. I liked the way they let you have a second helping of noodles - called kaedama - for an extra 150 yen. 

Miyajima: That famous red gate in the sea

I also visited Miyajima today, it's red gate being one of the most touristed spots in all of Japan. (See picture at top). 

The famous vermillion-hued O-Tori gate stands tall in the water like some exotic crane. At low tide you can walk out to it. The entire site is packed with shrines and temples - and tourists. The path leads you through several alleys of commercialism before you get to the actual historic sites. This is common in Japan - no wonder it's called Japan Inc. 

I had a mirthful exchange over some rice cooker paddles in the deserted Arts and Crafts Center. It houses a very high standard of crafts, at corresponding prices. However, I locked onto the cheapest thing in the store - a basic but attractively decorated, handmade rice paddle for just 315 yen - about $3.50 or so, making a perfectly economical gift for someone. Others were more than double the price, with less decoration. I argued in my zero-fluent Japanese that the more expensive ones could well have been made in China, and that my cheap one was only cheap in price, not appearance. The gales of laughter that ensued was followed by a careful wrapping of each paddle like it was a $100 paddle. I pointed out that the wrapping made it look takai (expensive) but the inside was in fact yasui (cheap) and this drew more hysterical cackling by the staff. Of the five women cracking up around me, only one actually worked in the store. The Japanese, despite an outwardly controlled appearance, are full of fun and camaraderie if you just be yourself with them. Or perhaps, they're just laughing at this goofy 'gaijin' who looks like she should be able to speak the lingo ...

Arigato Asako @Hostel Fukuoka!   

Tomorrow, wallet retrieving, then Castle Himeji, then back to Tokyo. 

More Japan on a Friday stories

The dainty Ippudo gyoza (they're small, so women don't have to open them mouths too wide to eat them).

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