9D8N Japan Trip：Day 2 In-depth Fukuoka ft. Gingkos Forest

The second day of arrival, we slept in and woke up at 10am. Had a quick breakfast from the convenience stores and start our day.

Our Day 2 Itinerary in Chronological Order

Gingkos at Taibaru
Sainenji
Mister Doughnut
Ganso Hakata Mentaiju
Canal City Fukuoka

1st Stop： Gingkos at Taibaru

Big is a nature-lover. After searching, we decided take an excursion to the Taibaru district which takes 1.5 hours to arrive from Fukuoka city centre. From the official announcement, Gingko trees usually turns golden in colour from mid to end of November.

We traveled in December so indeed we were unsure about whether the Gingko was still there. We flipped through Instagram and saw the golden shades in recent photos so we decided to go anyway.

When we arrived…………….all leaves fell……….

We were so disappointed at first but we decided to enjoy the moment. Isn’t it the true meaning of travelling? You would enjoy the most little things because you may only visit the same place after years or even once in a lifetime. We didn’t see a single tourist at that time. This was exactly the only time you can take loads of photos for your Instagram feed without pressure.

If they are not golden in color anymore, tune your photo lol

You can even sit and chill and have a little picnic.

Gingko are great even they are withered.

All of a sudden, we saw few trees! They were shining with their golden colour!

Information:
Address: 834-0112 Hisaizumi, Hirokawa, Yame District
Access:

1. From JR Hakata Station, take the Kagoshima line to JR Kurume. Leave by the East Exit. Take the bus route 30/31 (board to Fukushima Yame Bus Office) to Ikeda station. Then walk to the gingko forest with google map.

2. From Nishitetsu Tenjin station, take the Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line Express to Nishitetsu Kurume. Leave by the West Exit. Take the bus route 30/31 (board to Fukushima Yame Bus Office) to Ikeda station. Then walk to the gingko forest with google map.

Of course you can take taxi from Kurume if you have the budget. Though bread and I recommend taking the bus as there is a high frequency service as well as cheap fare.

Tips for bus-taking:
– Pay the bus fee when you get off the bus.
– Remember to get a ticket with a number printed on it when you board the bus. The bus fee will be calculated by that your station number printed on the ticket. The driver would definitely offer help.
– You can pay the exact amount but change is also available too.

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3rd Stop： Mister Doughnut

We got to Taibaru from JR Hakata but we got back by Nishitetsu Tenjin. At Nishitetsu Kurume, there was our favorite shop: Mister Doughnut. Both of us love the Pon De Doughnut. The texture is mochi-like and it is a must-try! We got the Pon De Soybean with a sprinkle of soybean powder on top of the doughnut.

The cute Pokemon bag! Kawaii!! (That’s the way you say ‘cute’ in Japanese)

Information：
Address： Nishitetsu Kurume Station, 830-0032 Fukuoka, Kurume, Higashimachi
Phone number： +81-92-406-5722
Opening Hours： 8:00 – 23:00 daily

4th Stop： Ganso Hakata Mentaiju

We are hungry when we came out at 4pm from Nishitetsu Tenjin. A little tips: most of the restaurants in Japan has resting hours during 2-5pm. We were craving for hot food during the freezing weather. Luckily, Ganso was opening from 7am – 10:30pm without closing hours in between. Maybe it is too popular?

Could you see the wooden boards? They are the display boards for celebrities signatures after visiting Ganso.

Photo captured from the official site of Ganso.

Upon arrival, you have to put your tag into the wooden bowl to choose the extent of spiciness of your food.

Ganso Hakata Mentaiju is famous for the Mentai dishes. Mentai means pollock roe while Hakata has the best Mentai in Japan. Salted pollock roe is a popular culinary ingredient so visiting a restaurant specializes in Mentai dishes is a must in Fukuoka.

We ordered two set meal. One with Tsukemen and one with both Tsukemen and Mentai Don.

Tsukemen is a type of ramen but it was eaten after being dipped into a bowl of broth. Ganso made extraordinarily good broth with Mentai which is rich and thick.

Information：
Address：福岡縣福岡市中央區西中洲6-15
Access：Walked 5 minutes from Nishitetsu Tenjin station, exit number 16.
Tel：092-725-7220
Opening Hours：7:00～22:30
Trip Advisor: click here