Outside a temple in the city.
Giant buddha!
I spent last Monday and Tuesday in Fukouka, Japan getting a new visa. I was nervous about going there by myself, but everything turned out fine. Some nice men on the subway helped me find my stop and I was able to walk to the Korean consulate from the subway. Of course it was closed for lunch when I got there but I met a Canadian who was also waiting so we walked around together for a bit. There wasn't too much to see where we were, just a giant baseball stadium, giant Hilton, shopping, and a great view of the coast and mountains. The guy I met helped me find a hotel downtown, which was fantastic. So I was left to explore. Unfortunately it rained a lot almost all day Monday. I did go out at night and check out the downtown area which was sadly very American. LOTS of shopping, Apple, Eddie Bauer, GAP, it was very disappointing. I did run across one random temple slapped in the middle of a shopping mecca. Noone was there and I couldn't go inside, but I walked the grounds. Japan is incredibly clean, there were tons of people everywhere, but the sidewalks were spotless, Korea is kind of dirty, so that was a nice change. Also, the public transportation is amazing. The buses and subway were fairly easy to navigate once I got the hang of it, and they are cheap too.
Tuesday I got up and went back to the consulate to pick up my visa, thankfully the rain had stopped. My plane wasn't until 7:30, so I decided to get a map and do some exploring. I had read that the biggest wooden buddha was in Fukouka, so that was my mission. I found a big green space on the map that had four temples in what looked to be a giant park! So I set out to find it. It was a disappointing adventure. The temples were NOT in park, but surrounded by giant buidings that hid them. I walked in circles until I finally stumbled upon one. It was deserted so I could only walk the grounds. I continued on to another templed, deserted and locked, another- deserted and locked! I was kind of mad now so I climbed up onto some rocks so I could see over a fence into the gardens at least. and I am pretty sure I did some major trespassing into a private buddhist cemetery. Oh well, I didnt get caught. I was so defeated that started to walk back to the subway to go to the airport early. Just as I was putting away my map, I looked over and saw yet another temple tucked between two giant buildings...could it be, giant buddha?! YES! I finally found it! I ran up the steps and whipped out my camera and got one shot before I was yelled at by the workers, "no pictures!" HA, I got one! It was worth all the frustration, it was amazing. And I am glad I stole a picture, I deserved it!
Japan was ok, but not a place I would ever go again probably. Maybe I would like to visit Tokyo,but it's expensive and I definitely don't like it as much as South Korea. I'm grateful I got a free trip there, but I'm so glad to be home in SK!
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