kilometers - faqjapan.com

I wake up at 11 am. Today I head to a place called Dazaifu. It is about fifteenkilometres away.I cycle in a straight line in its general direction. At one speed it should take me an hour. I was told to visit here by the girl I met last night.Her kindsuggestion.nA bit further along the road near the Mikasagawa River,the skyscrapers start to disappear, and rice growing under water becomes commonplace. Paddy fields full of semi-aquatic rice. I think they look nice so deserve a photograph.nIt is with the distraction ofrice that I suddenly realise that I am completely lost. As per Fukuoka, I see no maps; andDazaifu has stopped appearing on road signs.I somehow end up at the base of a mountain after cycling for about one hour.nnnnI cyclewithout seeing another pedestrian for about ten minutes. Eventually, I see a sign for a place called Shime. My brain pauses for a second before a pun crashes into my consciousness. I head there if only to use the pun. Rice and Shime.nnIt turns out Shime is up a hill. Probably that mountain I saw before. I havent done much uphill cycling since Beppu. My knees not quite prepared for it. The footpath leading into Shime is in a state of disarray. The hill eventually changes into a decline, and a free fall into Shime occurs. The wind cools on what is otherwise an alarmingly hot day.nnLow flying planes drift over and hang gracefully in the sky. At least I can follow the planes and track back to Fukuoka Airport; I know this isnt far from Hakata, where I am staying.nA cycle around Shime looking for anything. I find nothing. Wikipedia says that. Although the town still has a railway station, the line is no longer used. No escaping Shime then. Just when I decide to leave I finally spot something noteworthy. A chicken wandering around on some mud.nnKoke-kokko, says the chicken, in Japanese.n Cluck-cluck, I correct, in English.nAs I leave Shime, I find myself on the urban expressway; the signs all point to unfamiliar place names. I give in and revert to my plan of following the planes, before shortly arriving at the not very well signed Fukuoka Airport.nnI see the same Chinook I saw yesterday, just landed. How very odd, I havent seen a Chinook in over fifteen years, and then this week I have seen the same one twice.nAfter cycling for a total of three hours, I arrive back atthe hostel and tuck intosome Seven Eleven lunch. A bottle of Pocari Sweat, a fruit salad, and as usual, egg sandwiches.nAfter lunch, I do my laundry. In the Coin Laundry waiting area, there is a rather odd set of photographs. I have no idea what they are showing.Written alongside the images are some Japanese notices.nnI translate the notices back at the hostel, In order to prevent theft: if a suspicious person is staying, please contact the barnyard alternating Hakata police station if it was a robbery. There are also mentions of a theft in February, and still, images taken from the 24-hour CCTV camera show the criminals face. Named and shamed in a Coin Laundry.nAfter laundry and some Skype time, I head to Hakata Station. Instead of taking the lift, I monotonously explore each of the ten floors. Hakata Station is a huge shopping centre with all sorts of shops, includingthe biggest bookshop I have ever seen.nThere is a Record Shop selling rare Japanese versions of classic albums, perhaps a profit can be made in reselling, but I dont have the patience for that.I check for Com Lag, but it is the only Radiohead album that they dont have. The record shop also has three entire aisles dedicated to the music of everyones favourite J-pop idols, AKB48. Crazy.nnOn the roof of the train station, I sit for a few hours finishing off 159 pages of a Murakami novel. The nighttime quietly sweeps in. The view at night is okay but absent of any stars. I ponder for a moment questioning reality. The Murakami book somewhat inspires me to make some changes in my life; specifically, to start running more often.nOn the tenth floor of Hakata Station, a Spanishrestaurant.nnAs I dine on Paella and drink Rioja, I realise I never did make it toDazaifu.nRead the next part of my Journey in Japan, where I successfully make it to Dazaifu by clicking here.

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