Day 16 | Beppu to Fukuoka

Monday 28 October, 2024

Missed the previous post? Check it out here

We awaken to the sound of trains whooshing past our window, and it looks like it has been raining too.

Today we pack the bikes up and make our way back to Fukuoka by bus. We ride the bikes a few blocks to the bus stop where many other people are waiting. Most of them seem to be going to Oita airport which is far closer than Fukuoka airport.

The bus staff have a chat to us as they always seem concerned when they see our bike bags. I don’t think they like taking them as they’re afraid of damaging something.

The journey takes about 3 hours and we pass a lot of nice scenery along the way.

You can see how the scenery changes once you start heading into the bigger city.

Once we arrive, we set the bikes up and head straight to our hotel, Lamp Light Books Hotel, which is the same one we stayed at last week.

We head out for a very late lunch at a tempura place down the road, Tempura Hirao. It’s quite busy for a late Monday afternoon but the staff are super efficient. The tempura is super fresh and they have a very interesting system for serving customers. We’ll probably return here during the next few days.

Later in the evening we head out to explore the city.

We wander down to the river to check out the atmosphere.

There are quite a few yatai (food stalls) set up along the water but they seem super touristy.

We decide to head back to play some arcades at Round 1.

Both of us take home some winnings.

We also spot a square watermelon in one of the produce shops!

Since we had lunch quite late we decide on a konbini dinner tonight.

We look forward to being able to explore more of the city over the next few days.

Next post: Day 17 | Fukuoka (힐링데이)