Fran Finds Some Sake and Puffy AmiYumi (sort of but not really)
On my second day, I took an amazing trip to Dazaifu, one of the historic towns of Japan. I ventured through 3 temples, 2 shrines, a temple museum, and Dazaifu's new national museum. My three highlights were:
- I met a retired Japanese airline pilot in the temple museum. I was baffled by the tour guide brochure so he explained the different Buddhas and religious statues to me. We also talked about American baseball (one of Japan's best pitcher's now plays for the Red Sox) and he told me about his week-long trip to NYC to see two Broadway shows a day.
- At Komyozenji, a Zen temple, I saw a beautiful serene garden in the rear courtyard (below). It was so peaceful and quiet and such an unexpected change from the hustle and bustle of main street in Dazaifu.
- In the national museum, I stood next to a 90,000 year-old tree trunk that had been excavated from a lava flow. 90,000 years old! I guess 30 is nothing to complain about, huh? That tree trunk has ruined me; I've seen a lot of really old things since then (temples and tombs from 600AD) but they're just not quite as impressive. I guess that's perspective for you.
So after all that wandering, I headed back to Fukuoka to find some dinner. Much to my surprise, I stumbled upon a Tower Records in downtown Fukuoka. Though Tower has gone out of business in the US, it appears to be alive and well in Japan. In fact, the Tower in Fukuoka is one of the best music stores I've been in. The store featured prominent album placements for several of my favorite bands; Summerteeth by Wilco was displayed as a "Staff Pick" and "Long Seller." I was satisfied to find the complete catalogs of Elvis Costello (even subdivided by album!) and the Ventures, a surf rock band that my friend Isaac had told me was big in Japan. Though I was temporary distracted by the shiny objects in Tower, my stomach eventually reminded me that it was time to find something to eat.
Fukuoka is famous for its hatai, sidewalk restaurants that are run out of large portable carts. The use of "cart" might make them sound small; these carts are actually as big as a small car (well, maybe a Beetle). The cart serves as a diner counter with benches; it also has a framework shelter that provides a roof. The walls are usually a heavy clear plastic so passersby can see in while the patrons are protected from the elements.
After reading about the hatai in a guide book, I just had to experience one. I roamed around downtown until I found one that smelled good, a hatai that served grilled meat on skewers. The server/cook/bartender didn't speak much English, but it seemed like we were able to work things out. I ordered what I thought was chicken; this was only partially successful since what I got was grilled chicken skin. Not bad--despite how it sounds--but not what I was expecting
Fortunately, I made friends quickly. A businessman--one who was clearly a hold over from happy hour--helped me with my next couple of orders and a Japanese couple around my age, Ryuji and Misako, helped me figure out the drinks. I didn't actually have sake, but I did try a couple of different drinks including sochu, the Japanese version of soju (Korea's national alcohol).
Things at the hatai proceeded at a leisurely pace. We ate some, hung out for awhile, drank some, and then ordered some more food, had another drink, and so on. We talked a lot about baseball and sports and some of the differences between the US and Japan. The businessman introduced me as "Mr. Fran" to everyone who came in and he insisted on ordering me some Japanese dumplings. He also gave me some Japanese lessons ("Kanpai!" means "Cheers!" and something like "yu ka bi!" means "very good"); my pronunciation was the source of much laughter.
Ryuji and I talked a lot about basketball and music. His favorite team is the Dallas Mavericks and he coaches a local club team. He's also a big music fan so we spent some time discussing rock n' roll. I told him about my favorite band, Wilco, and he asked me if I could play a song for him on my iPod.
This was an interesting moment to me. It was like one of those classic rock fan questions: if you had to choose only one song by your favorite band, what would it be? I chose "Monday" from Being There; it's upbeat and has a warm fun vibe to it plus it's poppy enough for someone who listens to a lot of Japanese pop music. Of course, Ryuji thought it was great.
(By they way, Ryuji did ask me if I knew Puffy AmiYumi. I was proud to say I did.)
After 3 hours or so of talking, eating, and drinking, my new friends Ryuji and Misako insisted on paying my tab and giving me a ride back to my hostel. The taxi ride was a little bit of an adventure; the driver had never heard of the hostel before. Once we got near the train station, I knew the streets well enough to guide him--roaming Hakata in the rain actually paid off! It had been quite a day and I happy to feel my head sink into the space age foam pillow.
Fukuoka is famous for its hatai, sidewalk restaurants that are run out of large portable carts. The use of "cart" might make them sound small; these carts are actually as big as a small car (well, maybe a Beetle). The cart serves as a diner counter with benches; it also has a framework shelter that provides a roof. The walls are usually a heavy clear plastic so passersby can see in while the patrons are protected from the elements.
After reading about the hatai in a guide book, I just had to experience one. I roamed around downtown until I found one that smelled good, a hatai that served grilled meat on skewers. The server/cook/bartender didn't speak much English, but it seemed like we were able to work things out. I ordered what I thought was chicken; this was only partially successful since what I got was grilled chicken skin. Not bad--despite how it sounds--but not what I was expecting
Fortunately, I made friends quickly. A businessman--one who was clearly a hold over from happy hour--helped me with my next couple of orders and a Japanese couple around my age, Ryuji and Misako, helped me figure out the drinks. I didn't actually have sake, but I did try a couple of different drinks including sochu, the Japanese version of soju (Korea's national alcohol).
Things at the hatai proceeded at a leisurely pace. We ate some, hung out for awhile, drank some, and then ordered some more food, had another drink, and so on. We talked a lot about baseball and sports and some of the differences between the US and Japan. The businessman introduced me as "Mr. Fran" to everyone who came in and he insisted on ordering me some Japanese dumplings. He also gave me some Japanese lessons ("Kanpai!" means "Cheers!" and something like "yu ka bi!" means "very good"); my pronunciation was the source of much laughter.
Ryuji and I talked a lot about basketball and music. His favorite team is the Dallas Mavericks and he coaches a local club team. He's also a big music fan so we spent some time discussing rock n' roll. I told him about my favorite band, Wilco, and he asked me if I could play a song for him on my iPod.
This was an interesting moment to me. It was like one of those classic rock fan questions: if you had to choose only one song by your favorite band, what would it be? I chose "Monday" from Being There; it's upbeat and has a warm fun vibe to it plus it's poppy enough for someone who listens to a lot of Japanese pop music. Of course, Ryuji thought it was great.
(By they way, Ryuji did ask me if I knew Puffy AmiYumi. I was proud to say I did.)
After 3 hours or so of talking, eating, and drinking, my new friends Ryuji and Misako insisted on paying my tab and giving me a ride back to my hostel. The taxi ride was a little bit of an adventure; the driver had never heard of the hostel before. Once we got near the train station, I knew the streets well enough to guide him--roaming Hakata in the rain actually paid off! It had been quite a day and I happy to feel my head sink into the space age foam pillow.
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