I am back. That’s the overriding feeling in my heart at the moment. I am back in a country that my love for is certainly no new thing, and will undoubtedly be strengthened every time I come back in the future. I am back, but in reality I was back yesterday although I definitely needed those 18 hours of sleep… my apologies for skipping out a day. Put it to a combination of very little sleep during my journey here and a hearty lunch of tonkotsu ramen, gyōza and a beer. In any case, I think I made the most of yesterday and today:
For those who don’t know, Fukuoka sits on the northwestern coast of Japan’s most southern island, Kyūshu. Similarly to my situation upon arriving in Hanoi, check-in at my accommodation was later on in the day. This meant that when I arrived in Fukuoka at 8, I was going to be on my feet for all the day until check-in, which I was overjoyed about. I turned up at the hostel before it opened. Therefore I grabbed a quick breakfast of fried chicken and rice at the Family Mart which is literally 1 minute from this place. I dumped my ungainly bag and rucksack with the nice Korean man at the desk and set off. I had a map, a one-day subway pass and rusty Japanese: the city was my oyster.
I head east, and in the vague direction of what my map tells me is a temple and accompanying park. I find it, and find myself completely and utterly alone. I thought this was weird but it was a bit early (very early) when I was walking around. There is nothing more I like than walking around aimlessly with a map in a new city. The temple complex was wonderful. Incredibly serene. There wasn’t a soul in the vicinity. Hall after hall, I roamed what turned out to be the Shofuku-ji Temple of Hakata Old Town until I had seen all of it. It made me fondly remember Hanoi’s Temple of Literature. Soft, muted and discreet, these wooden temples calm the soul. It must be wonderful to worship in these places. A Japanese zen garden and paper shoji doors are unbeatable though (sorry Vietnam).
A short walk away was the Kushida-jinja Shrine. I’ll describe by photos. What really hit hard however, was the proximity in which the two separate yet parallel religions of Buddhism and Shintoism exist. It hammered home the syncretic and habitual nature of religion in Japan; salaraymen on their lunch breaks, schoolchildren, old ladies, couples etc. all pop through for a quick prayer. Religion doesn’t seem particularly religious. It is more habit and tradition. It’s beautiful and harmonious to see the fluid and casual nature of worship in this country, as Michiko Maekawa describes it (Maekawa, 2004). See my dissertation for more on this subject (Chatriot, 2020 – to be written).
After I wolfed down a bowl of ramen as aforementioned and a completely unnecessary beer (the necessity being debatable), I was slammed hard in the face by exhaustion. I checked in to the hostel, climbed up into my little capsule bed, and crashed.
I woke up naturally. I actually am finding more and more than I despise this sensation. My plan was to 1) eat 2) go to the Sumiyoshi Shrine 3) get on a train to see the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. All of these were completed. The Sumiyoshi Shrine is a delightful little shrine in the middle of this bustling metropolis, and the attached Rakusuien garden is just as soothing as any Japanese garden. Walking through the urban temples and shrines accompanied by the chirping of cicadas and the smell of damp cedar wood trees is a slightly surreal experience that I am struggling to come to terms with, as I’m not entirely sure the fact that I am where I am has set in yet.
A short train ride away is Dazaifu. A small touristy town with the self-titled shrine, the train ride emphasises the seemingly-infinite Japanese suburbia that is only broken up by the hills surrounding Fukuoka. I was blessed by the sun poking its head through the blanket of clouds that shrouds Japan during the rainy season, and the balmy 27°C and the breeze made even iPhone pictures look good. Also my film camera seems to have stopped working. I think the battery is dead and I curse it for doing this to me today of all days. I went up the hills to find a small shrine that I assume most tourists did not know about. A hidden gem for sure.
A successful two days. I’ll probably go to bed a normal time tonight, and maybe eat 5 different packs of instant noodles from the Family Mart (because they’re awesome, duh). I saw a hornet today and it rightfully put me in its place as I tried to take a shortcut to a little shrine. I won’t make the succeeding entries as long as this, but this is a two-day gig. I can also confirm that I have readership in 2 different countries thanks to blogspot’s stats tool, so I’m glad to see that at least someone is reading this. I hope it gives you as much pleasure as it does me.
Humanposting 