Cruising the Kanmon Straits and Fukuoka, Japan

March 4^th and 5^th, 2024

Kanmon Straits and Fukuoka

 

LeRoy celebrated his birthday with a little scenic cruising thru the Kanmon Straits on our way to Fukuoka, Japan.  We had a delicious birthday lunch on board in the dining room with our friends from Washington State and Detroit.  Three of them were on the 2019 WGC with us.  The ship likes birthdays, and showered me with good wishes and gifts, even a birthday cake made of towels and napkins!

The Kanmon Straits is a waterway that separates Honshu and Kyushu which are two of Japan’s largest islands.  When you have been out on the open water, it is interesting to enter and make your way through these waters as there is much to see on each bank.  It is a very busy body of water and as many as 700 small and large vessels pass through the channel every day.  It has been very important to mariners all the way back to ancient times.  We had to bring a pilot on board, and we decreased our speed in order to safely navigate the strait.  In some areas the channel is only about 500 meters wide, and when you have as much boat traffic as there is here then it can get a bit crowded. It was an overcast day, but the captain opened up the front deck anyway.  It has only been open for the Panama Canal transit and today, so it was still a treat though not as scenic as originally advertised!

But we made it!   As we pulled into Fukuoko the next day, it was cold, cloudy and rainy.  So out come the coats and umbrellas to battle the elements and onto the bus we loaded up.  Can anyone guess what we are going to go see today?   (Hint: 80,000, 100,000). Yes, you guessed it.  We were off to see a couple more temples and/or shrines.   While I may be ready to see something else, I must admit that each and every one we have seen is impressive in its own right and very important to the people of Japan. So, we drive about 40 minutes to Hakata, and our guide, Myomi, walks her "little ducks" up to the Dazaifu Shrine.  She spoke English very well, all 5 feet of her!  She sang some songs for us on the bus ride.  One was about cherry blossoms and the other was a funny drinking song!  Hakata is an old merchant city famous for Japan’s oldest zen temple.  Unfortunately, the shrine is under some construction so we were not allowed to enter but we could walk around and take pictures of the grounds. 

 

A little shopping on the way back was a treat as we sampled some local sweet rice cakes with bean paste filling.  Not bad. There was a cool Starbucks, too.  The local brew, Suntory, was as good as usual.  It was a new one for me.  You see saki casks everywhere.  Each cask has 72 liters and unlike a good whiskey or most spirits, there is no one way to make it.   Some saki is only a couple of weeks old while a very small percentage is aged much longer, and they can become very expensive.

Next up was the Kushida Shrine.  This Shinto shrine is one of the oldest shrines in Fukuoka and is referred to as the guardian shrine of Hakata.  An annual festival, the Gion Yamakasa Festival, showcases giant floats that they make each year.  Each float can weigh up to a ton, and is carried by 30 men dressed only in loin cloths similar to Sumo wrestlers as they race against other floats in a 5 kilometer race.  For some reason the race starts at 4:59 pm on July 15^th.   Don’t ask me why. The tradition of the race goes back some 800 years when an epidemic broke out and a Shinto priest was carried around the city high atop a platform while he sprinkled holy water to cure the epidemic.  Thousands of people come to Fukuoka each year to celebrate this festival. 

Our last stop of the day fast forwarded us back to the present age as we were taken to the Fukuoka Tower, one of 19 observation towers in Japan.  On a clear day you would get an outstanding 360-degree view of the city and the bay.  This was not a clear day.  The observation deck we were on was 403 feet up.  This tower is Japan’s tallest beach tower at 768 feet tall, and it represents Japan’s western trending culture. 

 

We headed back to the ship and said Sayonara to Japan.   Vi and I have learned a lot in all our stops.   Okinawa seems like a month ago, but while each island has its own distinctive feel, the islands all come together as one common people.  Very polite, very friendly, very proud.

Up next, Shanghai, China.  Thanks for following us on our way around the world.  We are half way through.  Sail on with us, why don't you?

 

 

Vi and LeRoy