Fukuoka, Japan: The
Visa Run
Fukuoka, Japan
January 28, 2005
Recently I had an opportunity to visit Japan. It was
a short trip to renew my Korean work visa but I made
the most of my first time in Japan. A lot of English
teachers do the "visa run" to Japan. From
what I had heard it was expensive and a hassle. Well,
I did a little research and had a very pleasurable 3
day stay at a traditional Japanese Ryokan (guest house)
in the heart of downtown Fukuoka for considerably less
cost than even those supposedly economic coffin-like
capsule hotels. For all the "visa run", English
teachers reading this, I've included subway and hotel
info at the end of this journal entry. It was still
expensive but it was worth it because I had a great
time.
I didn't try to cram in a cultural tour but I did want
to get some sense of Japan's history. In a nutshell,
I spent a full day visiting a castle's ruins (only the
walls remain but the view is fantastic), a modern art
museum, a traditional Buddhist temple, the modern glass
and steel Fukuoka tower, a planned beach complex, two
parks and a walk around a small lake with a beautifully
treed land bridge dividing it in half.
The first night I went to Canal City, a huge mall/entertainment
complex with free concerts, light and water shows. The
complex is built around and over a canal. It's not Panama
but then Panama doesn't have synchronized water and
light shows and all while a famous Japanese singer is
performing on an outdoor stage in the courtyard by the
water fountains. If you like shopping, eating, playing
video games, movies or just like people watching then
this is the place to be. The restaurants are on the
lower level. A bit overwhelming at first because there
are about 30 of them and the food all looks and smells
good. They all advertise with food plates in the windows
so you don't have to read Japanese, just point.
The last night in Japan I found a funky, little side
street with a funky little hole-in-the-wall diner. The
food was great and after talking with the owners for
awhile I had an idea where the live music clubs were
on Canal Street. I heard something like live music coming
from the top of a narrow flight of stairs. The door
was open, the lights were dim and the long skinny club
was packed. Welcome to the Riverside Jazz Club. A low
bar split the room in half with just enough room for
bar stools and a long row of tables on the opposite
wall. At the far end, I kid you not, 3 sax players,
a trumpet, bass, piano, guitar and a full drum kit all
crammed into that shoe box space. Man, those cats and
chicks wailed. There's nothing like listening to live
jazz. It takes you somewhere else and each time a different
place. What a great last night. I slept well.
 It's hard not to compare the two countries after living
in Korea for the past year. I have a Korean friend who
went to Japan last May for the first time since 1945
and I asked him what he thought about the country. He
said, "They obey the traffic laws, everything is
very clean and the toilet paper is softer than ours."
He's right.
First, what were the chances of me stumbling across
the only jazz club in Fukuoka? I have a feeling there
are a few and that Japan is a hotbed for the jazz and
blues scene. I have yet to find a jazz or blues club
in Korea. I've checked other cities' web site guides
and it seems Koreans just aren't tuned into jazz and
blues. They've got some pretty awesome rap and hip hop
but no soul except Seoul.
Second, Japan has a lot more urban park space than
the ROK. In Korea every bit of available space is used
to grow cabbage, rice and turnips. This agrarian tradition
is still strong even in the big cities of Korea. Lines
dividing urban and rural areas are blurred. It's kind
of nice. Japan has a lot of park space. I saw beautifully
designed and manicured parks everywhere; no sign of
cabbage anywhere.
Finally, South Korea seems to have a simple and practical
work ethic. More effort being applied to the function
rather than the facade. I'm talking mostly about architectural
layout and design. Korean buildings are traditional
squares, lacking in imagination. The large structures
in Fukuoka seem to be designed for visual appeal. Blending
curves, interesting angles and soft color schemes work
in harmony with the surrounding landscape.
A good example of this is the
planned beach resort close to the Fukuoka tower.
The visual from the tower is great but it's even better
walking through the resort's bridged entrance with the
angled pillars and the symbolic water fountains. The
place is too perfect. Even the color scheme matches
the beach and ocean.
 O.K. here is the "visa run " info. To get
to the hotel, take the subway from the airport to the
downtown. Get off at the "Gion" stop. Take
exit #2. Turn left at the first corner. Walk 2 blocks
and turn left. The Kashima Honkan Ryokan is 2 doors
up on your left. It has a nice courtyard, complimentary
tea service, traditional bath and restaurant. They also
have a small map of the area. From here, its a ten minute
walk to Canal City. Phone ahead for reservations and
price: 092-291-0746 address: 3-11 Reisan-machi
The same subway gets you to the Korean Embassy which
is close to Fukuoka Tower and Hawk's Town, another mall
complex with a Hard Rock Cafe.
Finally, along with free subway and city maps you should
pick up a free "Welcome Card" discount booklet
at the airport or at the Tower. It gives discounts on
food, hotels and admission prices. Restaurant food and
drinks are double the Korean price, supermarkets (24
hour one close to Canal city) are cheap. Someone once
told me that Japan is the most ultramodern society in
the world. Three days isn't much but from what I saw
of Fukuoka I would have to agree.
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