10-day Japan itineraryDazaifu TenmanguFukuoka travel tipshotel reviewKyushu free and easyKyushu must-visit spotsKyushu travel guideQuintessa Hotel Fukuoka Hakata Relax & Sleep
Day 1 in Kyushu, Japan: From Kuala Lumpur to Fukuoka – A Bonus Day in Our Travel Itinerary!
Hello everyone, I'm back to write again! In my previous post I've talked about how my friends and I planned our trip to Kyushu, so in the following posts I'll be sharing our itinerary in as many details as I can remember!
As this post can get a little lengthy, here's an overview of what you'll expect!
Content Overview
- Transit Flight to Singapore
- Exploring Changi Airport
- Arrival in Fukuoka
- Exploring Dazaifu
- Dinner at Kamakiri Udon
- Walking to Tenjin
Transit Flight to Singapore - Tips for a Smooth Journey
My flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore was informed to cancelled a few weeks before our departure, so we end up rebooking our trip 1 day earlier than we planned and landing earlier than our friend who was still working in Singapore. The reason why we chose to fly with Singapore Airlines was not just because of the comfortable legroom (suffering in 171cm height as we speak), but it's also because Singapore Airlines allows seamless transfers of our luggage for a smooth transit! (Check for terms for through check-in agreements here.)
Arrival at Changi Airport, Singapore
Our flight arrived late due to congestion, cutting our transit time in Changi Airport from 5 hours to just 3. Despite the delay, I’m glad we didn’t opt for a shorter transit. This gave us enough time to visit Jewel’s Rain Vortex, explore the airport, and enjoy a meal at the lounge before our overnight flight to Fukuoka., I'm glad we didn't choose a shorter transit time back when we rebooked our departing flight! There were a lot of things to shop for, but our main goal was to really get some rest so we were just hanging around Jewel after switching from one aerotrain to another.
But since we're technically entering the Jewel, we had to go through the Singaporean customs - which means we had to register our travel information through ICA. Just filling out the SG Arrival Card (SGAC) a couple of days before your flight will do. I recommend filling it out 1 or 2 days before your arrival date so you don't panic while searching for Wi-Fi signal by the time you land in Changi. You get a PDF to download via your e-mail too, so download that and have it ready in your phone and the rest is super easy with a passport scan!
Of course, if you are not exiting the customs and is directly heading straight to the next terminal to catch your next flight within the same day, SGAC is not required (accurate as of time of writing, please check for updates of policies and regulations before you travel).
The weather was great, and while it was crowded, the environment is still quiet and nice. The walk along the shopping street also made it less dreadful and before we noticed, we've already arrived at the entrance of Dazaifu Tenmangu!
After a short wait outside, we got ourselves counter seats! The meal was delicious and fairly-priced. I couldn't remember the exact amount I spent for my meals, but they were around 3000 yen since I also ordered sashimi. Ingredients-wise, the seafood were definitely fresher than everything I've had in Malaysia, and that itself is delightful!
We also enjoyed some live music beside the mesmerizing Rain Vortex at Changi Airport! Watching the water cascading down from great heights, with the sounds of melodious music with greenery makes it a good spot to unwind!
There are restaurants near Jewel and we had some ramen right before we check in for our transit flight. If you don't feel like spending much on your meal, there are various airport lounges available as well! The flight from SIN to FUK will take about 5+ hours, and since I eat a lot but the ramen wasn't very filling for me, so I did end up using my HSBC Visa Signature to grab a quick meal at Plaza Premium Lounge right before my flight (lol no this is not a paid promotion).
Onwards, to Fukuoka!
Upon our arrival at Fukuoka around 8 in the morning, with my roaming program not working I had to purchase a SIM card in the airport before catching the bus to JR Hakata station. We dragged our suitcases from the station to our hotel at Quintessa Hotel Fukuoka Hakata Relax & Sleep. Walking there took us about 15 minutes with our heavy suitcase.
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| Quintessa Hotel Fukuoka Hakata Relax & Sleep Exterior |
We booked a double decker room because that was actually the only room available by the time we made our hotel booking. While it wasn't the most last-minute booking I've ever done, it was also peak travel season (it was peak autumn, and on top of that it was also Diwali) so the lack of hotel availability was very understandable.
I typically will recommend booking hotels with free cancellation options 3~6 months in advance so you can still make some changes if you do happen to stumble across a better deal before your trip you can still make changes! But of course, if you are very, very certain your trip will go smoothly, no-cancellation options are usually cheaper too!
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| Breakfast Bar at Quintessa Hotel Fukuoka Hakata Relax & Sleep |
By the time we left our luggage, and me writing a bunch of delivery slips to send souvenirs from Malaysia to my friends in Tokyo and Osaka (because I can't visit them this time and I have no idea when I'll go back to Japan) it was almost lunch hours! There were almost zero plans for this day because I left everything to my local friends in Fukuoka, but the day went fruitful!
I met my Edahiro-san back in 2019 when I was staying in an airbnb in Onomichi! She and her husband also visited Malaysia and we haven't met since the pandemic, so when I told her I'll be visiting Fukuoka, the couple offered to take us around for some good ramen and also visit Dazaifu!
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| Exercising my passenger princess privilege (self-proclaimed) |
Kurume Ramen at Ikkyu
While processing with bits of jetlag due to the lack of sleep throughout the flight, we chatted a bit until we arrived at Ikkyu! They had multiple branches, but we came here because it's an old store but have recently renovated!
There are counter seats and table seats, but as Ikkyu is greatly loved by locals, not only the parking lot was almost full by the time we arrived, but even the seats were almost full! Edahiro-san helped us with purchasing the tickets from the machine! As long as we provided the tickets the chef and staff will know what to bring us.
Personally, I prefer my ramen to be on the harder side, so I ordered katamen, where 'kata' here is short for 'katai', which means 'hard' in Japanese, and 'men' means 'noodles'. Kurume ramen is the original of tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen (read more here from Kurume's official tourism site!), so the taste was amazingly rich!
How does Kurume ramen differ from Hakata ramen, one may ask! The difference is in the manner of how the broth was extracted, and I was told that the cooking pot for the broth are different. Hakata ramen's broth are created on a daily basis with a method called 'torikiri' in zundounabe stockpots, while Kurume ramen uses a pot called hagama, where the method is called yobidashi where the broth is used for a long time because of how it's stewed on a top-up basis, hence the richness in flavor over time!
The umami of the pork broth, the aromatic garlic oil itself is amazing! I love the perfectly al dente noodles, so I love tonkotsu ramen very much! There is also a concept where you can also pay a small fee to add noodles to the soup, and since I noticed them offering chili, I decided to order a kaedama and tried it with chili and I regretted not trying it sooner! Not too spicy and it was just perfect with half a spoon!
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| Of course, I finished everything because it was THAT good, I swear I could eat at least another two more bowls if I'm here alone! |
The meal was affordable and inexpensive, you can also order onigiri if you'd like. As the machines don't accept credit cards, I recommend bringing cash during your visit. It might also be better if you get the older versions of cash because there are many machines that don't really support the newer versions of the paper notes. Don't worry if you have only new notes, though! Just simply exchange with somebody in the shop would also do! ^^
Dazaifu, here we go!
After lunch and a short nap, we've arrived at Dazaifu! As it is was also traveling season, parking spots were a little difficult to find, so we parked a little far from the shrine, then walked to Dazaifu Tenmangu while passing by the Dazaifu station as well as the shopping street!
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| Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station |
Strolling along Tenjinsama-dori
The shopping street is called Tenjin-sama Street, or Tenjinsama-dori. It's the main street leading to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. Here you can find all sorts of traditional Japanese goods from apparel to ornaments, and even snacks and coffee! I'll also recommend buying Umegae-mochi, which is a toasted rice cake with sweet red bean paste inside. It's also stamped with the plum blossom pattern, which is the symbol of Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine.
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| Umegae-mochi (Read more here if you'd like) |
The weather was great, and while it was crowded, the environment is still quiet and nice. The walk along the shopping street also made it less dreadful and before we noticed, we've already arrived at the entrance of Dazaifu Tenmangu!
Onwards to Dazaifu Tenmangu!
Did you know that Dazaifu Tenmangu is one of the most important shrines in Japan for students praying for academic success? While most of us decided to visit here because it's a popular spot to visit, but knowing this fact itself made us all want to visit!
There's a statue of an ox right before you make your entry, and it was said that touching it will bless you with wisdom, so I had everyone queueing for me back then so I can gain some wisdom to pass an important exam that was happening in less than a month after my trip (and I passed with 2 days of cramming, talk about luck!).
The reason why there are statues of the ox (there are 11 in total!) is because it is closely related to a politician, scholar and poet, Sugawara no Michizane. He was born in the year of the Ox, and the main shrine of Tenmangu was established when the oxcart that carried Michizane's deceased body stopped working. It was said that the ox that carried Michizane collapsed on its way after the delivery - hence oxes were considered animals closely related to Michizane and statues were dedicated. Michizane is now revered in Shinto as the god of learning, Tenman-Tenjin! This explains why Dazaifu Tenmangu is popular among students!
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| Entering Dazaifu Tenmangu |
We were also just in time for the chrysanthemum exhibition, and there were so many varieties! Compared to the typical ones we use for prayers back in Malaysia, the ones I've always seen in Japan are really huge. It feels like there are some of them can only be held with both palms! (That being said, please do NOT touch them).
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| Look at these beauties |
After passing by the flowers, crossing bridges and marveling at the ponds, we arrived at the main event - where we queue to pay our offerings to the shrine. Dazaifu Tenmangu is popular for people who pray for studies, as well as praying for divine protection for children since the Edo Period. Those who also work in the performing arts such as Kabuki (classical form of Japanese theatre) or Joruri (traditional Japanese narrative music), and even for calligraphy writers, and much more!
For an avid gamer who wished to pass JLPT N1 without really managing to study a lot from textbook, I immediately joined the queue as soon as my Edahiro-san told me about what Dazaifu Tenmangu is popular for. While I may not be religious myself, any form of prayer is basically another luck buff, and every omamori I bought is another in-game luck booster item for the game named life! After getting a refresher of the orders of prayers as well as preparing the right amount of coins for prayer, we finished our prayer after a short 5-minute queue or so!
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| Just look at the crowd queueing... |
Right Next: Kyushu National Museum
After making our prayers and purchasing multiple omamori for my studies, career, and for my family's health, we decided to take a stroll to Kyushu National Museum. The walkway was mostly comfortable with long, looong escalators, so it wasn't too bad! After a slow 15-minute stroll and some chit-chatting, we arrived at the museum that is set on the hill.
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| Kyushu National Museum |
Kyushu National Museum offers permanent and time-limited exhibitions. The permanent exhibitions are about cultural exchanges between Asia and Japan, and on our way there, there were already multiple posters about the artifacts! There were also national treasures stored in this beautiful, cloud-shaped glass building.
As soon as my gaze landed on the building's facade I couldn't help but to snap a photo of it being so beautifully designed to reflect the natural scenery of the hill as well as the sky, blending perfectly into the surroundings.
Entering from the right side, you'll immediately be welcomed by the spacious entrance hall with multi-leveled spaces for permanent exhibitions and other special exhibitions. I also saw posters of exhibitions from the west! The entrance hall is also frequently used for events and concerts, where posters are also seen along the way during our escalator ride. The museum itself is worth a couple hours of visit if you are a history enthusiast!
Returning to Tenjinsama-dori
After our visit to the Kyushu National Museum, it's already almost 30 minutes before sunset. We turned back from how we arrived, grabbed some snacks along the way as we decided that we probably needed some rest as we'll start driving on the following day.
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| Traditional sweets in the making |
For Malaysians, driving in Japan is about the same in Malaysia, except that there are a couple of extra rules you should follow when you're in Japan. But we figured that since it'll be the first self-drive trip in Japan, it's best for us to have sufficient rest. So, after some other snacks and an ice-cream we returned to Hakata!
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| Umegae-mochi-flavored ice cream. Try it yourself if you have the chance! |
Resting in Hakata Hotel
After a rather tiring walk (also, my period came at the worst timing where my energy levels were bad) and we had a nice ride where I eventually fell asleep (thank you Edahiro-san!!), we returned to Hakata. We were dropped off at our hotel at Quintessa Hotel Fukuoka Hakata Relax & Sleep, then collected our luggage and checked in.
Since Friend B lacked sleep from the overnight flight and will also be driving on the following day, we decided to rest in our hotel until dinner time, where I'll be meeting up with my ex colleague, Tomomi-san! I've not seen her since her last trip to Kuala Lumpur before the pandemic, so I was really excited and couldn't really sleep.
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| Quintessa Hotel Fukuoka Hakata Relax & Sleep Double Bedroom |
Both beds are not too soft, but not too firm, but was fine to sleep in. The room was also clean overall, and service was also great, where the staff was very friendly! We have everything we needed for a night's rest! While Friend B napped, I decided to do some skin care while massaging my legs so I can walk more later in the evening, because we'll be dining near Akasaka, which is very much walkable to Tenjin shopping street!
Dinner at Kamakiri Udon
I've been telling Tomomi-san that I craved for sashimi ever since I left Hokkaido, but I'm also hungry for carbs after a long day, so after some time we decided to dine at Kamakiri Udon, where we get the best of both worlds! We boarded a train from Hakata station to Akasaka station, then walked to the shop to find it full of locals - so we knew we decided on the right place!
Map for Kamakiri Udon
It took us a longer time to travel since we decided to stay near Hakata station for the convenience of transit, but if you happen to have a shorter trip to focus on shopping and only within Hakata, staying close to Tenjin would be a better choice as you're closer to more shopping spots!
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| Kamakiri Udon Exterior |
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| Left to right: Sashimi, Mini Katsudon, and Mentaiko Tendon |
Walking to Tenjin
After a hearty meal, we decided to return to Hakata, but we didn't want the gathering to end right after a meal, so we walked to Tenjin all the way from Akasaka and caught up with each other. The shopping street was still bustling even after 9PM, though some stores were starting to close. The downtown area offers a lot for people who love food and shopping. If you love bars, it's also a good place to visit!
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| On our way to Tenjin |
Having its underground shopping center being one of the most famous places to visit in Tenjin, we decided to walk through it to reach the subway station before parting ways, and hopped onto the subway to return to our hotel in Hakata!
As we visited in November, Japanese cities are already full of Christmas decoration, and that includes Hakata! By the time we exited the station and saw what's before us, all I could say was that it's another visual delight for us!
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| Christmas Illumination outside of Hakata Station |
By the time we've arrived at our hotel it's already late, so we winded down, took a good shower, and rest for an early breakfast on the next day - we're collecting our rental car at 8 in the morning before picking Friend A from the airport!
Have you visited Fukuoka? Share your experiences in the comments below! If you find this blog post informative, feel free to share it around to your friends! See you until my next post!
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