Kyushu - Eating and Sleeping

Instead of staying in one place for the whole trip, I traveled Kyushu from south to north, changing hotels every few days.  I thought my hotels were very reasonably priced.  I ate pretty simply, so my meals were not expensive either.

Kagoshima

I flew into Kagoshima for one night before going to Yakushima, and stayed at the APA Hotel Kagoshima Tenmonkan.  It was a convenient distance to the port, where I would catch the ferry and it was clean - two important things.  Many Japanese hotels have a Yukata or some type of lounge wear or pajamas.  A nice touch was the origami crane.

 

Yakushima 

I stayed at the Minshuku Umigawa when I was on the island of Yakushima.  The owner was a friendly guy and the breakfasts were great, but the place was not so clean.  The location was good - close to the port and close to a bus stop, and across the street from the grocery store.  The room was small and the bed was a futon. The shower and toilet were on the first floor and the sleeping rooms on the second.

Kagoshima 

When I returned from Yakushima, I stayed at the Kagoshima Plaza Hotel Tenmonkan.  It had a great buffet breakfast, but the breakfast room was very crowded, so I didn't get a photo.  One unique feature at this hotel was that you could choose your own type of pillow.  Many Japanese hotels have strange pillows filled with cut up plastic straws and I'm not fond of them.  At this hotel, I chose two fluffy pillows.

Kumamoto 

In Kumamoto, I stayed at Capsule Hotel The Ginza.  "The Ginza"  makes it sound nicer than it was!  This was the first time I stayed at a capsule hotel.  This place had one floor for women and the rest of the hotel was for men.  The toilets and bath were down the hall from the capsule room, which was dark and quiet - no talking allowed.  The breakfast was basic and good.

My bed is the bottom

Nagasaki 

I ate at an Indian restaurant at the station and it was very good.

I stayed at the First Cabin Nagasaki.  No breakfast, nothing special, but it was clean and the staff friendly.

Fukuoka 

In Fukuoka, I stayed at the Reisenkaku Hotel Kawabata.  It was a little bit old, but clean and the staff were all very friendly.  The breakfast was included and there were three choices.  Both mornings I chose the French toast breakfast, which included soup and salad. The location was very good, close to the shrine and the three museums I visited, as well as close to the subway.

If you are planning to visit any of these cities and have questions about these hotels, I'd be happy to answer them.

Fukuoka - Hakata Traditional Craft and Design Museum and Hakatamachiya Folk Museum

The Hakata Traditional Craft and Design Museum is a free museum, with beautiful displays and exhibits, but photos are not allowed inside.  My favorite thing here was the Hakata Ori woven textile exhibit.  From the website: 

Approximately 770 years ago, a young Hakata merchant named Mitsuda Yasoemon visited China with a monk (later known as Shoichi Kokushi) and returned having learned techniques in weaving. This technique was passed down through the generations to the present. Improvements were made as time continued, and because Kuroda Nagamasa offered this textile to the feudal government of the Edo period, people began to call it “Kenjo (offering) Hakata Ori.” Not only obi sashes, but various items such as dresses and bags are made using Hakata Ori textiles these days.

I also visited the Hakatamachiya Folk Museum, which is only about two blocks from the Craft and Design Museum.  I arrived just  in time for the Hakata Hariko painting class.  The cost of the materials for the class was 800 yen and the entrance to the museum was 200 yen.  

This is my teacher, holding my finished fish.

I'm not such a good painter, but I always like to take part in local craft classes when I travel.  After my class, I visited the rest of the museum, where photos are allowed. 

I recommend visiting both of these museums in Fukuoka.

Fukuoka Castle Ruins and Ohori Park

I love seeing Japanese castles, so I couldn't pass up seeing the castle ruins in Fukuoka.  They are located in a beautiful park, with a lake and islands.