Monday, August 4, 2014

Japan Trip: Fukuoka and Dazaifu

Playing: Take My Advice-Wild Party
Reading: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
We took a flight from Okinawa to Fukuoka in the middle of Typhoon Neoguri, which was mildly terrifying for me. Luckily, we got to Fukuoka safely and we were the only Okinawan flight to not be canceled that day. Tina and I heard that the typhoon was supposed to follow us to Fukuoka, so we crammed in some sightseeing on our first day in Fukuoka, thinking we wouldn't have the next day. Our first stop was Fukuoka Tower because we heard that it had a spectacular view and I have to agree. Fukuoka Tower offers views of the ocean, of multiple rivers and of Fukuoka itself for a price much lower than that of other towers like Tokyo Skytree.
Once again out of fear of the typhoon, Tina and I felt the need to do all of Fukuoka's most famous activities the first day we were there. Apparently, Fukuoka is well known for ramen, so we tried Shin Shin due to its high ranking on Trip Advisor. While Shin Shin was inexpensive at 500 yen a bowl and the food came out quickly, I wasn't overly impressed with it. Everything about the ramen was pretty standard.
Fortunately, the typhoon didn't come on our second (and last) day in Fukuoka, so we took a day trip to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, which is rather beautiful. Other than the flocks of snap-happy tourists, Tina and I both enjoyed the temple plus the area around it.
By way of an elderly local, we discovered Komyozenji Temple, which is extremely easy to get to from Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. You literally turn down one street and walk straight. (Ask any of the locals and they should know.) While we were at this temple, we found a map detailing other touristy places to look at like a pagoda, so go try that out. You'll get to see some things that are still touristy, but not touristy enough to attract all those snap-happy tourists I aforementioned.
Before heading back into Fukuoka, Tina and I got lunch along the main street leading from Dazaifu Station to Dazaifu Tenmangu Temple at a quaint restaurant called Oshinagaki. The beautiful garden located in the back was the main feature that attracted us to this specific eatery. We both ordered the mixed soba plates, which featured regular soba along with pickled plum and green tea soba. Although it was a bit pricier than I would've liked, I enjoyed my dish and would go back.
Before I leave for New York, I wanted to host a worldwide giveaway for all the things I bought for you guys during my time in Japan. If you win the giveaway, you will receive:

  • 1 Rilakkuma Tote Bag
  • 3 Bath Bombs in Yuzu, Lavender, and Pine Tree
  • 1 Face Mask in White Rose
  • 1 Lip Mask in Peach
  • 1 Pack of Point Pads in Strawberry
  • 1 Rilakkumagazine
  • 2 Matcha Green Tea KitKat Bars
  • 2 Pompom Hair Scrunchies
  • 3 tokidoki Pins

To enter, here are the rules:
  1. You must be a public follower of this blog and comment below with your name and email.
  2. For an extra entry, you may blog about this giveaway and comment with the link to your post that mentioned my giveaway.
  3. For an additional entry, follow me on Instagram @this_is_audrey and comment below with your Instagram username.
This means that there are three entries available. Step 1 is the only mandatory one, but to do steps 2 and 3 you must do step 1. The winner will be announced on August 15 and will be chosen by a random number generator after I add up all of the entries. The winner must respond to my email within four days (August 19) otherwise I won't be able to mail the prize because I will be too busy moving across the country.

35 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for entering! You have two entries :)

      Delete
  2. Glad you made it to Fukuoka safely. The ramen looks delicious to me. The giveaway prize looks lovely!

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad we made it to Fukuoka without any incidents.

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  3. Name: Kiyomi Hayano
    E-mail: kiyomihayano@hellokitty.com
    Instagram: @kiyomihayano
    Thank you for having this cute giveaway! ;3;

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No problem! Thank you for entering! You have two entries :)

      Delete
  4. name: leb die sekunde
    e-mail: xoxototally@gmail.com
    instagram I don't have:((
    blog post: http://totallycoolarts.blogspot.ro/2014/08/giveaway-by-hkittygirl.html

    thank you for this pretty giveaway , for this chance :*

    you have a cute blog and this photo in Japan is amazing:*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome and thanks for entering! You have 2 entries right now c:

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  5. Aww I love the Rilakkuma bag ^^ I've followed your blog.
    Name: Mitch
    Email: ohdearmitch(at)gmail(dot)com
    Blog: http://felishmichelle.blogspot.com

    Thanks for hosting the giveaway! Your Japan trip looks so much fun :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks like a great trip! Thanks for the chance to win this cute giveaway!
    Email: littlepandacrafts@gmail.com
    Insta: mj_pandaxoxo
    New follower through blog and instagram :)

    MJ // www.littlepandacrafts.blogspot.com

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  7. Sounds like a great giveaway! Sorry I can't enter, I'm not sure it I can use all of the masks and such because of allergy concerns. :)

    catscraftsncritters.blogspot.ca

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, that's a shame. I'll keep that in mind for future giveaways.

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  8. Lovely post indeed, like your pics and story a lot :)
    Nice international giveaway!!!

    xoxo
    www.bellezzefelici.blogspot.com

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  9. Fukuoka looks amazing!! ahhh so beautiful, every angle is a good shot. and too bad for the typhoon scare, I hate that too when I g back to taipei :)

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    Replies
    1. Yeah it seems like Asia has typhoons often. I guess it's an experience that I can now say I've had?

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  10. AHH!! The ramen looks amazing! I'd love to try it, but too bad Japan's so far D: hehe looks so fun!

    Good luck on your giveaway :) The stuff are super cute <3

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  11. Fukuoka looks so pretty!! It looks so scenic and relaxing!
    I'm glad you are safe too!! It must have been pretty scary!

    This giveaway looks so nice!! .. I'm entering hehe!
    Email- mindy13455@uahoo.com
    Name- Mindy Fan

    Thank you!!
    http://www.mybrokeneggshells.com

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  12. Oh wow, Fukuoka looks amazing! I'm spending a year in Japan in 2 years as part of my uni course, so I'll note these places down so I can visit them when I go ♥ And for the giveaway:

    Email: rowan.lawton95@gmail.com, name: Rowan
    Instagram: the49thname

    the49thnameJoin my giveaway

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you have any questions about Japan, I'd love to help while I still remember everything. Thanks for entering! You now have 2 entries

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  13. I have experience typhoon before in Hong Kong and it
    was pretty scary :P so I totally understood you guys
    weren't too keen about it. The 'Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine'
    is gorgeous! Love the temple area ^__^ and you look
    lovely with that yummy looking bento box!

    Email: ice.pand@gmail.com
    Instagram: @ice__pandora

    Xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! Typhoons sound really scary

      2 entries!

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  14. Wow! This is interesting. You're very adventurous.

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    1. Haha thanks! I aspire to be more adventurous

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  15. This was so interesting to read, love the photos! This is making me really want to go on an adventure :)

    www.violetdaffodils.com
    xx

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    Replies
    1. Glad I could inspire you even the slightest c:

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