FUKUOKA on film

To wrap up OPHELIASFUNERAL x Japan, here are photos from my trip to Fukuoka a month ago (today!). Kevin had found a really good ferry deal from Busan to Hakata for a three day, two night trip, so it was a totally spontaneous, "let's just do it" sort of jaunt. 

I hadn't touched my Canon after coming to Korea, so I packed two rolls of film with it and left my DSLR at home. It had been over a year since I had worked with a film camera so it took some getting used to. I was surprised I could remember how to load it properly!

At the Busan ferry terminal

First Japanese bus ride! Taking us into Fukuoka city

"we awesome"

Cutest fruit stand

Sushi!!! Messy, cheap, but still very good.

Creepy, super realistic display hand at Dry Bones men's vintage (a fun spot if you're ever in the neighbourhood of Daimyo)

Daimyo cyclists

Tree-lined streets of Tenjin

Adore that the boys still wear those hats as part of their school uniforms here. And that knapsack!

Canal City fountain show

Fukuoka's Naka River, aka the canal

The famed yatai, street food carts that are more like mini restaurants on wheels, line one side of the canal each evening

Mentsudan Udon

Gyoza!

The following morning we set out early for our ambitious little day trip. The voyage out to Kurokawa, an onsen (hot springs) town, would entail: a Shinkansen (bullet train) ride to Kumamoto (the city with the cutest mascot to have ever existed), a local express train to Aso, and a bus to the onsen town, totalling about three hours one way, not to mention the half hour walk we made to the outskirts once we got to Kurokawa. Quite the trek, especially since we'd have to make it a second time later that evening, but so entirely worth it. 

Photos can't and don't do the views justice. Rolling hills of lush grass and fluffy white meadow flowers, perfect blue skies painted with watercolour clouds, manicured canary yellow fields, set to the sounds of silence and tranquility, and scented with the crisp perfume of fresh air... I'm obviously getting a little carried away just thinking about it.

Mt. Aso Station

The station on the left, the volcano on the right

Mt. Aso, one of Japan's many active volcanoes

The hills are alive... with the sound of music

Darn light leak!

It was dark by the time we boarded our trains back to Fukuoka.

Local express (an older commuter train)

Shinkansen

A little piece of SoKo in Japan!

If I ever return to Fukuoka, I'd really like to do a more thorough walkabout in Daimyo, which was brimming with stylish folk and cool shops. I would've taken more photos to show you had I had more film.

Comme des Garcons Daimyo

ABAB

White on white

I probably won't be back out there for a while! I hope you guys enjoyed this segment of photos from Japan. Next up, I've got a few select snaps from a pre-Halloween weekend in Seoul.

xo