Fukuoka - Day 3

Recap of my trip to Fukuoka, Japan, on Monday, 21 March 2016.

Yanagawa, Canal Boat Ride, Ohana Villa & Rissoles

It was still public holiday in Japan. After breakfast, our friend's wife showed us how to wear a kimono, with my friend as the model. There were many materials and many steps involved but the end result was worth it. You can truly appreciate the beauty of the kimono once you see all the steps involved to put it on. I had only worn a yukata before so I really had no idea the amount of detail and care required to put on a kimono. We also had a chance to look at the various patterns and materials for kimonos of all occasions.

For today, the plan was to drive to Yanagawa, a city 77km away. On the way there, we stopped at a market that sold produce, food in an open air setting but also had an indoor shop that sold a lot of local delicacies suitable as a gift or souvenirs. My friend and I bought a few chocolates for friends and family back home.

We continued our trip to Yanagawa and rolling rice fields greeted my sight. The weather was lovely so the bright blue sky contrasted nicely with the green fields stretching towards the horizon. I also saw forests at the outskirts of the rice fields and saw trees I had never before seen. It made think of mythical places and legends.
We reached Yanagawa close to noon and headed to a restaurant that is famous for its grilled unagi. It had a traditional Japanese setting where we had to take off our shoes and sat on the floor. The place we sat overlooked the Yanagawa canal.

Our lunch soon arrived and the tasty unagi had our full attention. The unagi came with a side of soup and I thought it was some sort of ginseng but it turned out to be unagi liver. I don’t usually eat liver but since we were at the best unagi restaurant, I decided to give it a try. Apparently, it’s good for your health too. It tasted a bit funny but not too bad.

After lunch, we met our hosts’ daughter and their granddaughter. Together, we then took a boat ride through the famous canals of Yanagawa. Each boat was steered by a boatman and we ran into one or two other boats during our ride.

We passed many houses which were situated along the canals and I couldn’t help thinking these homeowners must be the rich and famous of Yanagawa. It would be pure bliss to live in such gorgeous surroundings.

As we neared the end of the trip, we passed a few shops along the banks that sold food and ice-cream! We ordered ice-cream. Eating as we drifted along the canals under the blue sky made it the more delicious. As a bonus, we were treated to a song by our boatman who shyly serenaded us after he explained how it was part of his job.

After the boat ride, we went to the Ohana Villa, a western-style mansion that used to be the home of Yanagawa’s previous ruling family, the Tachibana family. It had an impressive Japanese doll collection and an equally magnificent traditional garden.

Before going back, we dropped by our hosts’s daughter’s house for tea and a short visit. The apartment was located in peaceful, quiet neighbourhood. I practised my Japanese skills by striking up a conversation with their granddaughter who was clearly shy but nonetheless answered my questions. She even showed us her collection of toys. Eventhough it was still early, we decided to head back since the journey to Yanagawa took about an hour plus this morning. We passed the countryside again and I took the opportunity to absorb as much of the view as I could.

The journey back took longer because the roads were congested. Typical of the situation back home, everyone would always be rushing back home after a long weekend. It was dark by the time we reached the apartment but early enough for my friend and I to prepare dinner. My friend decided to make rissoles in appreciations of our hosts’s kindness in letting us stay at their place during our trip. I helped her prepare the meal.

Once the rissoles was ready, we sat down around the kotatsu, which is a low table with heated pads inside. It is the best thing to have in cold weather. We ate rissoles with Thai chilli sauce which made it a surprisingly tasty combo :D