hakata – The things I've seen. The places I've been.

Nemophila and Cherry Blossoms is such a perfect combination! And this was exactly why I wanted to visit Uminonakamichi Seaside Park. Uminonakamichi Seaside Park is a huge park. It measures almost four kilometers from end to end. So renting a bicycle is highly recommended if you are intending to cover the entire park. But since we were just hoping to see the Nemophila and Cherry Blossoms in one spot, we only visited the Flower Hill which is a good walking distance from the Uminonakamichi pier. Flower Hill was designed to be an open – air flower art museum. Once we entered the park, we were greeted by the vast amount of Cherry Blossoms. It was so breathtaking!

We took the last ferry of the day back to Hakata Pier and I really recommend taking the ferry instead of the train or bus as it was so much faster and convenient. For dinner, we tried a small Ramen shop near our hotel in Tenjin. It was something that I’ve never tasted before. It was delicious!

We arrived early at Hakata International Port in Fukuoka and we were the first ones to get out of the ferry because we had the Deluxe room. We rented a pocket wifi at the arrival area then took the bus to Hakata Station to leave our luggage at the hotel very close to the station. Then we took the subway to Tenjin to enjoy lunch under the Cherry Blossom while visiting the parks. One difficulty I had was to choose a bento. We were just in one small supermarket but the choices were endless…

It was my first Sakura this year and I can’t believe that one of my dreams just came true – to see the Cherry Blossom in Japan! I was also happy to see Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin while walking in Ohori Park! The Spring weather was so lovely but most of the trees were not in full bloom yet. So I decided to cancel our return to Busan in 6 days to stay longer in Fukuoka after our trips from Yufuin and Kurokawa Onsen. I really wanted to experience the full Sakura in Japan.

The next day, we enjoyed breakfast at an old fashioned cafe. Then we went to Hakata Bus station to take the bus to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. I like taking the bus as I enjoy looking out of the window. But when we were queuing at the Bus Station, we were informed that there was a road incident that will take the bus longer to travel. So we took the subway and train instead. There were lots of people in Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. But we found a quiet spot a bit outside of the shrine and enjoyed the Cherry Blossom in full bloom. It was so beautiful and my heart was full! You can watch the reel here. Please don’t forget to click the links too to see how it was.

The next day was yet another change of plan…