Another week in the books! Monday - Thursday morning was fairly uneventful. Just work and school. On Thursday afternoon we flew out to the Kyushu region and stayed in Fukuoka prefecture. More details below:

Thursday, June 19, 2025

After work on Thursday I went back to the apartment and met up with Nao and the kids. We took a bus to Kansai International Airport and flew on Peach Airlines to Fukuoka. The flight was fine and we were only in the air for about 55 minutes. After checking in to the hotel and dropping off our luggage, we decided to wander around Canal City. It was okay; it had a bit of a touristy vibe. I got the impression that Fukuoka (and Canal City in particular) attracts many international travelers from China and South Korea since it's so close to the Chinese and South Korean mainland. We did have an incredible yakitori dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Friday, June 20, 2025

On Friday we woke up and explored the city. First we checked out Tocho-ji nearby and prayed at the giant Buddha. Afterwards we had mentaiko at a fancy place for lunch, followed by some exploration and playtime at Ohori Park. It was pretty hot out, and when we got back to the hotel we were beat. We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant and went to bed.

Saturday, June 21, 2025

Saturday was action-packed. After a quick breakfast in the hotel we set off to visit Uminonakamichi. After changing trains a couple of times we arrived at our station. We took the kids to Marine World and they had a blast eating treats, watching the dolphin show, and looking at all the marine life. After about 2.5 hours we decided to head out and walked to the nearby Uminonakamichi Seaside Park. We rented some bicycles, biked to a little forest zoo area, and then finished up the ride at the beach lookout. It was beautiful scenery and an extremely peaceful area.

For dinner we visited the Yatai. The food was a bit expensive but it was lively and the scenery was great. This was probably my favorite day of the mini-vacation.

Sunday, June 22, 2025

We checked out in the morning and flew back. After a 50 minute bus ride to from the Kansai Airport we were back home! All in all a very fun trip, especially the visit to Uminonakamichi.

Upcoming Week

Mostly just work and school this week, although we will be celebrating my daughter's birthday on Friday with a visit to the Cinnamoroll Cafe.