Golden Week (Part 3): JAAAMIE!

Monday, April 28
We checked out of Hotel the First and drove to the shore for a (shoddy) view of Fukuoka Tower. The beach area, which features a small collection of shops and restaurants, markets itself toward brides-to-be and Korean tourists.

We found a small cafe!

The owner was a tough-looking braddah with a ponytail--nothing like the cozy, gingham-clad cafe mamas one usually sees in Japan. We liked him.

The Daily Lunch was chicken in creamy cheese sauce, served with rice and Chinese-style soup. Simple and yummy.

From the coast, we drove south to Dazaifu, where we visited the site of the Dazaifu Government Offices. (The area was once the administrative center of Kyushu.) The buildings no longer remain, but picnicking families and bicycling old men enjoying the sunshine made the flat, grassy area look far from deserted.

Markers, where the foundations lie.

The Dazaifu area is a popular among tourists. I found a shop offering a HUGE assortment of soft cream flavors, including tofu and wasabi! Dazaifu also features a store selling ALL the Hello Kitty charms of Kyushu. (Thanks, Jamie for the tip!)

This poor Totoro has droopy ears. And he costs nearly a thousand dollars.

大宰府天満宮 (Dazaifu Tenmangu), the shrine devoted to scholar, poet, and politician Michizane Sugawara. Here, hopeful students pray for success on exams.

Don't mess with the bull.

We prayed for Chris's success in law school this fall.

A thank you from a student who passed the exams for her top choice school.

The thanks are addressed to "Tenjin-sama," the name under which Michizane Sugawara was deified.

梅ヶ枝餅 ("plum branch mochi"), known as a much loved treat of Michizane Sugawara's, is sold freshly grilled at stalls lining the street to the shrine. The rice cake is warm and filled with sweet bean paste.

From the shrine, we drove to the nearby 九州国立博物館 (Kyushu National Museum), one of four national museums in Japan. It was built only recently, and the design is fluid and gorgeous.

After a hurried look through the museum, we drove further south to Kurume, in search of the sight in Fukuoka Prefecture I most looked forward to: Jamie!

Jamie took us to a local Italian joint. To borrow a Project Runway word, the food was fierce!

I ordered a cheese pizza because I'm lame and sometimes all I want is cheese and bread.

I tasted Jamie's wonderfully garlicky pesto pasta.

And a bit of Chris's, which included small cuts of steak!

Dessert was GORGEOUS. We shared a strawberry tart with a luscious, buttery crust and a beautiful GIANT pie with whole bananas stacked among layers of chocolate.

We ended the night out with shopping and プリクラ at a ridiculously large YouMe Town and coffees at Starbucks. The remainder of the evening we spent at Jamie's place--talking, talking, and talking.

Unrelated to the end of the post, but it's one of my obsessions, discovered in Kyushu thanks to Jamie--sweet potato cookies from Muji. Crisp and buttery, they crumble on the tongue with one bite. I'm addicted.