The last stop in my Japanese adventure was Fukuoka. The sun was out and I went over to Ohori Park and the Fukuoka Castle Ruins. The ruins on their own were not that impressive, but they did provide viewing spots for both the park and the city. Walking around the park, I saw the castle ruins as well as the cherry blossom, and I also walked around the Plum garden, although according to the sign at least, it was past the peak of the blooming season. Nevertheless it was still great to walk around the place.
From there, I moved on to the Korokan Ruins Museum. Although the building is quite small and modest, there were quite a few things to see in there, and pretty much every sign had an English translation, so it was possible to learn about the history of the place and its significance, including a short video (with English subtitles).
After visiting the Korokan, I headed over to the Asian Art Museum. The place has different art pieces from different parts of Asia, and not just from Japan. The gallery was divided into different sections, showing different aspects of the art and its development in Asia. The signs had English translations for the most part and they included explanations about the art pieces, the artists (and where they are from), and the methods that were used to create those pieces. The gallery had quite a few pieces with most of them being paintings, although there were a few sculptures and photographs as well.
My last stop in Fukuoka, and Japan, was the Kushida shrine. The ancient Shinto shrine is near a shopping district and it is fairly easy to get there. Although I wasn’t there at the time of the Festival, it was still nice to walk around the place and enjoy the peaceful and serene garden, and pay attention to the details of the shrine and the sculptures around in it, as some of them were quite intricate.
And that is where my Adventure in Japan ends. I got some lunch and sat down at a nearby park to eat it, reflecting on the time I spent in this country, the places and people I came across, and all that I experienced. I would definitely want to come back to his country again, hopefully with a better understanding of the Japanese language (and culture), but now it is time to move on, toward a brand new adventure.