August 1, 2016 - This morning I Face-timed with my best friend, Katie Scott! It was so nice to see her face and catch up. I'll see her at the beach in a couple of weeks. I cannot wait!
In the afternoon I headed out to Fukuoka City to see the fireworks in Ohori Park. Summer in Japan is Firework Season! Every weekend there seems to be some display going on. This was my last opportunity to see fireworks before leaving for my trip to America. I didn't want to miss it. I took a train into Fukuoka and found Ohori Park without a problem. I wanted to take more pictures than I did, but it was so crowded. I've never experienced a crowd this size. I was overwhelmed to say the least. I put my camera away and enjoyed the night for what it was --- a memorable experience.
The festival stands in Japan are unbelievable. They have such a wide variety of food: 3D pancake characters; chocolate covered bananas; yakitori; pineapple on a stick; shaved sweet ice; takoyaki ... etc. Check out the comprehensive list at Japan Talk. They took the pictures I could not.
I have decided that my festival go-to's are: pineapple on a stick & a beer.
I took the train from Hakata back to Orio Station. Right before leaving Hakata Station though, I picked up doughnuts and coffee. Nom nom nom.
August 2, 2016 - This morning didn't go quite like I planned. I had wanted to go for a long run, but I kept pressing snooze on my alarm. I guess I didn't really want to go.
So even though I had these amazing doughnuts to break into (I bought two of each kind last night so I would have doughnuts in the morning) ... I held off until later after I worked out.
Doughnut flavors from bottom to top: fried doughnut; sweet potato poppy seed doughnut hole filled with ube (puruple yam); chocolate doughnut hole filled with chocolate coconut cream.
For lunch I had unagi sushi, black seaweed, and a salmon filled onigiri. During the summer unagi (eel) is very popular. Japan Monthly Magazine calls it a summertime treat. Currently my favorite Japanese foods/drinks are:
- Unagi (eel) with Rice
- Onigiri with Umeboshi (pickled plum)
- Matcha Truffles
- I LOHAS Aloe Vera Water
- Sesame Seed Dumplings filled with Red Beans
I began packing for my upcoming trip to the US today. I still have quite a bit to do and a few days before I leave, but I'm going to be really busy with work so I needed to get started.
I also went out and ran a few errands: SunLive, Diaso, and the ATM.
And for dinner I went with a new type of sushi. I'm not exactly sure what's in it but I could taste fish, ginger, and green onions. It was really good and I thought it was neat that it wasn't wrapped in seaweed, but instead some type of leaf.
Dessert was a kashiwamochi -- oishii!
August 3, 2016 - Today I traveled into Fukuoka City for Day 1 of the English Camp Training. I spent all day in Fukuoka. I took an early train in and had an hour to sip coffee at Cafe Fadie before going to into the office. This Cafe Fadie location is one of my favorites. It's on the ground level of a huge office tower and feels like an atrium. There is a open air sitting area with plenty of seating and an inviting atmosphere. I could have sat there all day.
Cafe Fadie, Tenjin Center, Fukuoka City, Japan
View of the PARCO shopping center --- one of my favorite department stores.
1 hour of morning bliss.
Day 1 of the training went well. The commute back to Orio was not bad. B and I took the same train and were lucky enough to have seats for the whole ride back. When I got to my apartment I ate dinner, showered, and called it a night. I have another full day of training tomorrow and I wanted to get some extra sleep.
Tonight's view.
*** For dessert I broke into the bag of match flavored KitKat bars I am supposed to be bringing my family when I visit. I'll have to replace the bag, but it was so worth it.
August 4, 2016 - Today was Day 2 of the English Camp Training. It was another full day of prep and training. During the lunch hour I ventured outside for some fresh air and Pinkberry with B and C. I got a medium originial with pineapple, melon, kiwi, red beans, and matcha cookies. It was so good!
When I got back to my apartment I went for a short run and then made eggs with vegetables for dinner. It was a really good day!
August 5, 2016 - Today was the last day of the English Camp Training. I traveled into Fukuoka City and met everyone at the office. We had a few finishing touches to put on our camp materials and we needed to run through all of the activities. It was exciting to see it all come together.
J.Ferry Grand is a clothing brand store that I could have easily bought a few pieces from. Instead, I held off and just window shopped.
Fukuoka City is becoming one of my favorite places to explore. It's one of the top 10 largest cities in Japan. They have everything --- temples & shrines, trendy restaurants, outdoor parks, festivals, beer gardens, the beach, Softbank Hawks Baseball ... etc. There's so much to do and see. I think I'll have to plan a weekend trip where I stay over night when I get back from vacation.
I found the site and felt a whole lot better about making the trip on Saturday morning. One of my biggest stressors is time --- I hate being late.
I made it back to Orio Station and all that was left to do was to get a good night's rest before camp.
