Last Part of Of Our Trip

 I didn't have a chance to write yesterday, just very busy with classes!

After Burger King, we got the bus back to Tenjin Station.  Hannah wanted to go to Bookoff, a recycle bookstore, near the station. She is always looking for books to help with her study and research. 

As always, Google Maps and reality were different.  The few-minute walk from the bus stop to Bookoff was more like 15 minutes. One problem was the crowds, just so many people, plus it started to rain. A lot of people with umbrellas meant dodging around or getting hit by an umbrella, also there were a few people riding bikes on the pavement! I got hit twice by bikes!

I am really impressed by the street art in this area. We cut through an arcade to get to Bookoff. There were some interesting statues. The arcade reminded me of the UK.

Hippos

I don't know what this is, but it's interesting.

The arcade

Then there's a cubed tree, Hannah said it's a LEGO tree!

Cubed tree.

We finally got to Bookoff. I was tired and hot. Outside was very cold, but inside was hot. Fortunately, there was a bench near the entrance, I sat there and had some water. Christopher and Hannah went to have a look around.  Hannah found a few books that she bought; I'm not sure what Christopher bought.

After that, we were all rather tired, a bit wet and cold. It was time to head back home. 

We made our way back to the station. There are only 2 platforms, so finding the right one was easy! We usually use the JR train, which goes to Hakata Station, which has 14 platforms, including the Shinkansen platforms. Where we usually get lost!

We used the local train to get back. We could get seats! 

We got back to Kurume but had just missed the bus. We had an hour to wait, but I was too tired to walk around anymore, so we went to Mr Donuts to get a little something!

A little treat!

We got back home about 7 o'clock. 

I had a great day, but it was a lot of walking for me, over 10,000 steps!

I'm looking forward to more adventures like this! I just need more money to make them happen!

A Trip To Fukuoka Art Museum (Part 3)

 I asked Hannah to find a place for lunch before we went on Saturday. I know that trying to find a place when we are out ends up with a lot more walking! She found a Burger King nearby. Plus a Cat Bookshop. Of course, we had to check out the Cat Bookshop.

To get to the bookshop, we had to meander through a nice little neighbourhood, full of quaint houses, little shops and cafes.

There weren't many cars, but a lot of foot traffic.

One of the little alleyways.

A cafe.

A Turkish cafe.

A sign for the Cat Bookshop

The alleyway where the bookshop is.

The Cat Bookshop.

On the wall outside the bookshop.

We couldn't take photos inside, which is a shame. I was surprised at the number of books available on cats. Most were in Japanese, a few English ones and a couple of them in other European languages. I guess cats are popular worldwide.

Christopher bought me a book. I'll post about it later.

After the Cat Bookshop, we walked another 10 minutes to find Burger King. 

This sign was on the door.

Funny!

Burger King was packed. It was lunch time, and it looked like there were a lot of orders for the Uber Eats delivery service. 

We had to wait for about 20 minutes, which I was very happy about, a chance to sit down for a bit!

Lunch

I had a simple set, Christopher and Hannah had a bigger set meal. Not only a burger and fries, but chicken nuggets and apple pie as well!

While we were waiting for our meal, Hannah showed me what she had bought at the museum.

How to write hieroglyphics and a soft toy

After lunch, we went back to the station to do some shopping. I'll try to write that up over the next couple of days. I have to make lunch now!

A Trip To Fukuoka Art Museum (Part 2)

 One thing that I like about Japan is the way the old and the new go together seamlessly.

Opposite the Fukuoka Art Museum is a shrine with a stunning tori gate. This shrine was founded in 1749. Next door is the NHK broadcasting studio, which was built in 1992.

The tori gate

The NHK building

In the top photo, you can just catch a glimpse of the building through the trees on the right. It shouldn't work, but somehow it does!

We finally made it to the museum.

The exhibit we went to see.

Interesting sculpture outside the museum

The museum is also a newer building. It was built in 1979 but has undergone many renovations; the last one was in 2019.

One thing I was very happy to find was a place to sit down. Walking is still hard on my back and legs (but easier than a year ago!), having somewhere to sit for a few minutes really helps!

It was 2000 yen to enter, about £10, not too bad!

We could take photos of the exhibits, no flash photos, though, so some photos are a bit dark.

The hair on this piece is amazing; it looked really textured.

This made me smile.

The colours don't show up well in the photo, but they were very vivid.

Of course, we found a cat.

Egyptian cat.

A model of an Egyptian Temple.

An Eygptian Mummy, you can still see a bit of the cloth.

We were able to get a photo there as well.

Hannah, me and Christopher.

We spent over an hour looking around. It was very good, very well laid out. It was very busy, though, but not crazy!

We left the museum to find a cat bookshop and some lunch. 

That will have to wait until the next post. I'm having problems with pop-ups. I've tried many things to stop them, but they just keep coming. I'll have to get some help later.