We've been in Fukuoka, the capital of Kyushu island, for four days now.

Notable features:

-- It's reputed to be the oldest city in Japan.
-- Contemporary Fukuoka is made up of old Fukuoka (which was run by the samurai) and Hakata (which was run by the merchants). Hakata was chosen as the new name for the combined city, but a group of samurai insisted on Fukuoka anyway... Some people apparently still call the city Hakata (which kind of explains why Fukuoka's main railway station, somewhat confusingly, is called Hakata).
-- Most of the city was destroyed during WWII.
-- Marilyn Monroe spent some of her honeymoon here in 1954 (with Joe DiMaggio)...

Facing mainland Asia (it's as close to Seoul as it is to Osaka), Fukuoka has always been a hub for the exchange of ideas and goods.


It's not a cutesy, quaintsy place, but it's full of interest. Our walks so far have not been very targeted, but we keep stumbling upon all sorts of curious and beautiful things.

Higashi Park is close to our apartment. It was desperately cold that afternoon (it kept snowing on us), so we didn't linger. But it's a lovely place, which invites returns:






Similarly, you don't have to walk far to find temples:








There's some very striking architecture. This, for example, is Acros, an arts complex that has not only a roof terrace and a "step garden", but also living walls:




And then there's what you spot as you're just walking along:








So, pleasant walks, and lots of things still to see.

For the record, masks are de rigueur here pretty much all the time. Legally, you just need to wear them inside. But I'd say more than 90% of people wear them outside as well, so we follow suit.

And after walking, we come home to our little flat. I know I've mentioned the toilet, but I have to rave a bit more... It's just a standard Japanese toilet, nothing special at all, but we love the heated seat and the warm-water bidet function...

We've pretty much figured out how to work the compact kitchen. Everything works well. It's warm and cosy.