Fukuoka : 6th April 08 - Sakura Craze 1

Yes.......here we are. Upon checking out, we hopped onto a cab (taxi) to company hostel, Matshushita Rio. Man.....the driver tried to be friendly and conversed with us in Japanese. So we said:"Gome nasai, nihon go wakaranai" (sorry,we don't know Japanese). Yet, he kept asking and talking in Japanese until we went a - -!!!
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

Eventually, the driver lost the passion after we kept smiling sheepishly at every question that he asked............kesian

Wow, as you can see in the pictures, the town is very clean. Since it was spring season, sakura flowers were in full bloom. The ground was littered with fallen petals of sakura. Fantastic!

The houses are different in design from each other. The gates and walls surrounding the house aren't as high as Malaysian houses. Every house potray individuality and are well maintained. The materials used in building the houses seems like some sort of "fungus-free bricks". I think those who watch Japanese drama before may know what am I talking about.
In addition, those houses are arranged in such a way to give a countryside feel.
Hai.......nice

















Even the lamp post is not covered with advert posters of Ah Long, pest control or lori sewa..... Haha

It took us a good 45 min to reach company hostel. For your information, the cab service here starts with a initial charge of 550yen (~RM17.50) once getting into the cab. The meter will keep on moving even during traffic jam or long stops at traffic lights. So, our cab fare amounted to 3600 yen (~RM108). Hey, the status of cab drivers here is much better than their Malaysian counterparts.













My hostel room


Actually, I was a week late for the Sakura Festival that marked the start of spring season. But since sakura flowers were at full bloom, there was no time to waste. Immediately after checking in, my colleague and I rented bicycles and off we went in search for good pictures.....Oh yeah, the place here is very pedestrian-friendly. Moreover, the drivers are courteous enough to stop to allow pedestrians and cyclists cross road junction.

The first stop was a park nearby our hostel. Families can be seen having picnic beneath the sakura trees. Mothers will sit, watching their children play with their dad or entertain their children who request for a drink after tired playing. Couples will be doing their own stuff......My colleague remarked that it would be wonderful to propose under the falling sakura flowers, saying that the girl will have hard time to reject! Hmmm.......boleh pakai jugak idea ni. LOL!
















































Sakura up-close
















Chubby Japanese kids with rosy cheek