Another morning where I rose out of bed before the sun did, giving me time to re-pack my bags for check-out this morning. Our original estimation on time for catching transit today was a little tight, but with us checking out a couple hours ahead of time, it gave us plenty of leaway. We hand in our room key and catch a taxi over to the train station to avoid the continous rain that started the day prior, and was forcasted to be nice and clear for our arrival in Hiroshima.
The first of our two bullet trains today is over to Hiroshima. We buy our tickets at the station and choose some snacks for the ride. I get a variety pack of small sandwiches, a coffee, and we share some small croissants. a couple hours of scenic views and cities passsing by and we arrive at Hiroshima station. In order to avoid lugging our bags around the city, we toss them in a locker in the station and head outside only to find out that we were lied to by the forecast, with the rain still coming down.
Another taxi ride later and we are at the Hiroshima Peace Museum. By the time my dad and I had made it through the exhibit, the rain had finally subsided, letting us walk through the Peace Park without getting soaked on our way through. Our first stop after the museum was lunch, and not just any lunch, one of my favourite meals of all time; Hiroshima no okonomiyaki! A regonal specialty of Hiroshima which consists of a bunch of layers of different foods, such as cabbage, meat, bean sprouts, green onions, sauces, and more. It’s quite filling and very good. We finish up, stop by a 7-11 for some drinks, then walk back to Hiroshima station for our last train ride of the trip.
After figuring out what station we actually need to get off at, we grab our stuff from the coin locker and hop on. The trip between Hiroshima and Fukuoka was only about an hour, and for the first time since we arrived in Japan, we left a train station to see a sunny sky. We walk through Fukuoka finding our way from the station over to our hotel.
About 40 minutes later, we get to the Lyf hotel, easily identifiable from the plants and metal design on the exterior. The check-in is on the third floor, which doubles as a stylish café. We get our room key, head up to the 7th floor, drop our bags off, and lie down for a bit. The room has a balcony with a nice view over Fukuoka, as well as some complimentary snacks, which I enjoyed.
My dad looks up some nearby places we can head over to for dinner while we lounge around, eventually settling on a tiny izakaya just up the road that serves some cool dishes. It’s pretty easy to miss the small wooden entrance, and once inside we can see that the whole place seats maybe 20 people, divided amongst 5 tables.
My dad and I are seated in a small loft, with just enough room for the table. There isn’t a word of English in the izakaya, so after identifying some of the categories and using our phones to translate the rest, we order a couple drinks and a few dishes to go with them. I get a peach sour, while my dad orders a highball. Our drinks arrive, followed shortly by our dishes; horse tartar, chicken skin gyoza, mackeral fried rice, and fried fish cakes, all of which was unique, well presented, and most importantly, tasty.
I ding the bell provided to ask for the bill, head back down the narrow staircase, and out of the izakaya. A quick vending machine stop to stock the mini fridge in our hotel later and we’re back at our room for a minute. The hotel has a rooftop bar, and while I’m happy enough with my recently acquired vending machine refreshments, my dad heads up to enjoy a glass of wine while I update my notes on the trip so far. A day full of walking and good food catches up to me, and before long the lights are out and I’m asleep for our first of two nights in Fukuoka.
