The first place we went to was Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine. A Shrine is a temple for people to make their wish. How do we make a wish? We have to throw a coin first then bow two times, make a wish and then bow one more time.
We went to Kumamoto food pal after that. All of us had our lunch there which was a full course meal and a free flow of pastries and breads. After eating, we went to the Kumamoto castle. We tried samples of pastries and buy them for those who like it.
Our last place we went to was the Kumamoto castle. I guess I exercised a lot from all the climbing of stairs and walking. The gaps of the staircases were really big and because we were wearing socks, it’s slippery. Super scary that I might slip and fall. I learnt about the ninjas, the wells and etc.
Yue Ying
9:50 PM |
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After our midnight flight to Fukuoka, we went to quite a number of places namely, Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine, Kumamoto Food Pal and Kumamoto Castle.
Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine is one of the famous temple in Kyushu. I learnt the proper way of making a wish. Firstly, throw a coin of any amount into the rectangular box located outside the praying area of the temple. Secondly, clap twice. Thirdly, bow twice. Next, make your wish and eventually bow one last time. That's what the Japanese do when they make a wish, very different from Singapore style. In Singapore, we use joss sticks to offer to the ancestors instead of coin.
Next, we arrived at Kumamoto Food Pal. This is the place we had our lunch and we had free pasteries too! After lunch, we were being brought to the Sweets Factory. I really enjoyed myself day because we had the opportunity to taste the pasteries made on-the-spot. Futhermore, the pasteries were very unique and mouth-watering, mochi coated with white chocolate really makes you drool! We sampled four different types of sweets pasteries and they were great.
The last stop for the day was Kumamoto Castle. I was fascinated by the enormous castles. We had to remove our shoes before entering the castles as it is a form of tradition. The castles were very tall and hence we had to climb several flights of steep staircase up to the highest level. Looking down at the highest level was the scenery that I had been looking forward to.
Hui Tong
9:26 PM |
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Today was our first day in Kyushu, Japan. Although we did not really have enough sleep during the plane ride, we were still very excited and we were able to stay awake for the whole day.
We started our journey at the Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine. We walked under many arches, we also walked up to the wishing well. The Japanese way of making a wish is different from others. They bow twice first,clap twice,make their wish then bow one more time.
The second stop of our journey was a much more fun experience than the first stop. There we ate our lunch and visited a sweets and cookie factory. Almost everyone bought things there as they were considered cheap compared to other places.
On the third and final stop, we went to Kimamoto Castle to learn about the history and culture of the ancient Japanese people. We climbed up a few of the towers.
We stayed at River Side Hotel, a hotel fifteen minutes away from the Kimamoto Castle. We had a buffet dinner at the hotel, it was not what we expected. The shopping at night was cancelled as we were told that all shops closed at seven in the evening.
Julian & Joshua
9:20 PM |
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Its our second day in Kyushu, Japan. Since our first day was spend waiting for the plane in the airport, I won't be doing refection on the first day. At 4am in the morning, they served breakfast on the plane. It was so cold outside the plane at around -12 degree celcius. It was so cold that I could not eat properly and most of the food went wasted. But later when we arrived at Fukuoka at 8pm it was much warmer as the themperature at the ground is usually higher than the air.
We first went to the Daizaifu Tanmangu Shrine. I learned a lot from the visit to the Daizaifu Tanmangu Shrine. I learned about the Japanese people, culture and tradition. I bought two health charms from the shrine for 1000 Yen.
Later we went to the Kumamoto Food Pal where many popular Japanese sweets and bisciuts were produced. Before we visited the Food Pal, we had lunch in one of the restaurants and the food was just awesome. There was this sweet with cheese inside that I liked a lot and bought a box full of them in the Kumamoto Food Pal.
Lastly we visited the Kumamoto Castle where I learnt more about the history of Japan and Japanese culture. The top of the castle was the best part of the whole visit. It was very windy and we had a breathtaking view of mountians far away.
In fact today's journey was all about culture and tradition of Japan!!
Jeeva
9:17 PM |
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We departed from Changi airport at exactly 1.10am in the morning and the flight was around 6 hours.
When I first arrived at the Fukuoka airport, the first thing that I noticed was definitely the temperature. It was very different from Singapore and it was very cooling.
Our first destination was to the Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine that was located in Fukuoka. I learned about the shrine's history as well as its purpose and its features.
After the visit to the shrine , we headed off for Kumamoto Food Pal as well as having our lunch there.
Next, we stopped at the historical Kumamoto Shrine which was huge and had three towers and was made to protect the samurai from the ninjas. I also climbed up to the top of all three towers and the view was jsut spectacular.
Today was quite a fun but tiring day.
Ryan Tay
8:53 PM |
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Departing from Singapore at around 1 am from Changi airport, we safely arrived at Japan 8.10 am.
Oue first destination was the historical Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Fukuoka. We learned about the purpose of the Shrine and the history behind it.
After visiting the Shrine, we went to Kumamoto Food Pal. We had our lunch and then we set off to see the making of the delicious pastries there . We were also given a lot of samples of the pastries over there to have a taste of it .
Lastly, we stopped at Kumamoto castle which was one of the biggest place we have visited in Fukuoka. It consists of 3 big towers which were built in the past to protect the Japanese samurai from the Ninja. We then went into the towers to have a look from inside, all I can say is that it was awesome.
I have greatly benefit from today's tour.
Terence Teo
8:50 PM |
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We started off our day with a visit to the Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine where we learned what the shrine was for and who it was dedicated to.
After we visited the shrine,we went to Kumanoto Food Pal to have lunch and experienced how they made the pastries there. I was excited to visit that place because I loved the colourful and vibrant architecture of the building.
Lastly, we toured the Kumamoto Castle which was a very unique and wonderful experience because we had to climb flights and flights of stairs which eventually lead to a magnificent view of downtown Fukuoka which was the reward for me in my opinion.
Roy
8:47 PM |
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Msg from Mdm Lu:
Tomorrow we are heading to Minamata.
Places include Minamata Disease Museum, Memorial amongst others.
Look forward to traditional meals.
The stay for tomorrow night will be Ryokan style. Will be having dinner in Yukata :)
That will truly be a great experience for all of us.
8:00 PM |
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We have safely touched down at Fukuoka Airport on 29 May 2010, at about 8.10am (Japanese time, 1 hour ahead of Singapore) on SQ656, departing from Changi T3 at about 1.10am (SG time).
Upon touching down, we headed straight to Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine in the morning. Then we took an 1.5 hour ride to Kumanoto Food Pal where we had lunch and learned about Japanese pastry making. After lunch, we went to Kumamoto Castle and spent the entire afternoon learning about the rich Japanese history and culture.
We just arrived to Kumamoto Riverside Hotel, about 15min drive from Kumanoto Castle. It had been a tiring but educational day. We are taking a short rest before going for dinner and night sight tour.
Will post the photos when we are more settled at night and after the debrief.
The weather is great and cool! People are nice and friendly!
So far, all are well, happy and safe :)
4:50 PM |
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