Nokonoshima Island Park

Take a day trip out of Fukuoka to visit Nokonoshima Island Park, a family friendly park! With the bright blue sky, well manicured plots of colourful seasonal flowers and Hakata Bay as the backdrop. It is a visual feast for the senses. Perhaps because this park is off the mainland, therefore when I visited it, I didn't see hordes of tourists. On the contrary, this park is popular with the locals as Bungalows and Cottages are available for rental. The park is pretty big, so set aside at least 11/2-2 to cover its grounds. Satisfy your hunger pangs at any of the restaurants or lay a mat on the grass and have a picnic! I enjoyed strolling through Omoide-dori as it is a replicate of an old town. If your child loves animals, there is a "mini zoo" there too.












The rental cottages -



Getting there
Board the subway in Hakata to Meinohama Station, take the Nishitetsu Bus to Nokonoshima Ferry Terminal. You can either walk to the park or take the bus bound for the Park.

It takes about 30-45mins to walk there and here are snapshots of the view along the way -










Signing off this post, with pics of Cherry Blossoms. The smell of Cherry Blossoms reminded me Almonds

Kanamara Matsuri Festival in Kawasaki

SHOW & TELL - I am sorry if this post offends, with the obscene pictures and crude language.Have a date with the Festival of the Steel Phallus in Kawasaki in Spring. The climax of the annual fertility festival, falls on the First Sunday of April! Swelling numbers of Tourists, Locals and even Transvestites attend the celebration! It is a time for people to let loose, throw their inhibition out of the window and HAVE FUN! Much to the delight of the gawking and camera frenzy onlookers! Festive foreplay includes licking candied genital parts and taking snapshots with the wooden penis or of vegetable penis carvings!
One of the many "stars" for the day -







The festival is simply quirky & outrageous! The procession of "cocks" being carted down the street is a yearly highlight!







SEX is in the air, other than selling food for you to nibble on. You can buy anything that depicts kama sutra!




Perhaps they should hold more of such festivals, as Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the region! Jokes aside, the origin Kanamara Matsuri was because prostitutes wanted to pray for protection against sexually transmitted diseases.


Getting there:
Board the JR line from Tokyo Station To JR Kawasaki Station. Switch to the Keikyu Daishi Line and take the train from Keiku Kawasaki Station to Kawasaki Daishi Station. Follow the crowd and you will be led to Kanamara Shrine, the centrepoint of the festival!

OUGATOU HOTEL

Ougatou Hotel was my rest stop for the night, after visiting Matsumoto City. The ryokan is situated on the top of a Utsukushigahara Heights. More information about Matsumoto City & the Utsukushigahara Heights can be found at this link

If you love adventure and nature, the plateau is a beautiful place to visit. Make that spot your leisure escape, from the hustle and bustle of hectic city life. The air fresher and it is a peaceful spot to enjoy the beauty of the seasons. Come face to face with grazing cows and recharge with a night's rest at Ougatou Hotel.

I caught the Ryokan's complimentary bus service from JR Matsumoto Station. Took us about 60 mins to get to the hotel. One beauty of travelling during the low season(April), was that I only had 3 other couples joining me at the hotel. Despite the low visitor numbers, the hotel's hospitality standards were impeccable! I have only praise for the staff! The warm hospitality and attention to details, simply made you feel at home.

What I liked about the Ryokan, is that it has 3 private open air baths and two indoor baths for the different genders. Don't oversoak or you will end up as "wrinkled prune" * Due to the high temperature of the water, oversoaking in the bath will result in red and wrinkled skin! Not exactly a pretty sight! Use the massage chair to knock away your tiredness and stiff shoulders from work stress! Enjoy the quietness of the night and the chilling night wind caressing your face, when you soak in the open air bath!

The ryokan has Western and Japanese style rooms. It has 4 levels and is handicap friendly with a lift to take you to the different floors. The are two viewing decks at the front and back, for you to enjoy the sunset and sunrise. Guests are given the option of whether they would like to have their meals in the hotel. Complimentary activities include, a slide show of photographs after dinner, a tour of the plateau in the morning, star gazing at night, wine tasting session to sample the wine made by the hotel and more. This hotel is usually packed during the busy season, so visitors are advised to make their reservations early.


View of the hotel and the surroundings





Dinner










A foggy, rainy and cold morning. I woke up specially to catch the sunset and this was the view that greeted me
Breakfast











Sightseeing on the Plateau in the morning

The bell tower

You might be interested in Matsumoto Castle

Woma Abalone

For the first time during Chinese New Year, Hua Ting at Orchard Hotel has a $8888 set menu. 8 to the chinese is known as a lucky number. Here are the pictures of the Woma Abalone, priced at $4000/kg! The first thing Chef said to me when he handed the abalone over was make sure you do not lose them! That was my most stressful photoshoot! So if you happen to have 10 people and $8888 to spare, pamper your tastebuds with the set menu! Do drop a note to share with me the experience:)