Took me well over twice the time it should have done to get from the hotel to nulabs, I managed to miss the Starbucks, missed what the map says is an Apple Store but we have those at home so no loss. What we don’t have is the colorful signage, or so many cars that move so quietly. No revved engines or horns here. The cyclists glide through the pedestrians, no bells, no shouting. Dont Walk signs are obeyed absolutely. The weather today has been warm too.
I went to the Kego Shrine followed by Kego Park  There are two main roads up to the river and then to nulabs and this side has the parks. Ned had pointed out to me yesterday that there were two statues of lions outside the shrine yesterday. One has it’s mouth closed, the other open. I will ask why tomorrow. (I could wikipedia it but that would just create questions anyway). Just across the next block or so was the larger Tenjin Central Park. I got some of that park on video simply because there was some J-pop music being piped there or so it seemed. There was nothing special to mark the parks as uniquely japanese that I could see but parks are there to be an oasis of calm amidst the hustle and bustle of a city – yet this city is so peaceful that the transition into and out of the park was marked not by noise or crowds at all.

One thing I noticed more today was the signage. I need to deliberately take more pictures of all the signs that have little monster/pokemon/dinosaur style mascots. It’s all so colorful and friendly, a stark contrast to the signage we have back in the UK which is dull, very dull.

Popped into a shop to get some chilled green tea drink and a coffee flavoured caffeine drink. Did so to practice saying arigato gozai masu. It’s getting easier to say it without feeling self conscious about it. Lunch I stuck to a coffee milkshake from Mos Burger while everyone else ate properly.

Late afternoon and evening I got to talk more with others in the company with our varying efforts at trying to communicate with the assistance of the translate tool at Excite. We got on pretty well though I have to say they were doing more translating than I was. It was all very informal though with everyone just chatting, no ceremoney or hierarchy visible and it could just have easily been a bunch from Automattic chatting drinking and having a laugh. Very enjoyable.

I found my way back to the hotel without getting to new places accidentally bar one corner right near the hotel.

Fukuoka is fantastic. It really is. If it were possible I would go home only when I got bored and I cannot see that happening.