Fukuoka is the largest city and the capital of the Fukuoka Prefecture on the northern shore of the Japanese island of Kyushu, the southern most island of the archipelago. Because it is the city nearest China, Fukuoka is considered the oldest city in Japan. As the nearest Japanese port to mainland Asia, it has an international flavor, is not rigid, and integrates many Asian cultures into its own.  Praised for its modernism and open green spaces, it was voted the 14th most livable city in the world, with a population of around  2.5 million people  in the greater metropolitan area. The city is not only modern, but is also young and vibrant with a lively night life.  Henry and I found this city to be very useful, and made the best use of its resources. We also had a lot of fun here, thoroughly enjoying our hotel, the Grand Hyatt. Here are some of the things we did and places we visited while in Fukuoka:

1. • Fukuoka  Museum of Asian Art, located on a floor of an office tower in the city. We saw an exhibition of Ju Ming Sculpture. This Taiwanese sculptor, born in 1938, was awarded the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize, 2007. I first met Ju Ming in New York during my SoHo NY Max Hutchinson Gallery days, where in September, 1981, Ju Ming exhibited his large-scale sculptures in Max’s gallery.   Their definitive postures and bigger-than-life scale abstract figures, fashioned from the trunks of trees,  were made by a decisive hand using a chain saw, the method and the subject being the movements of Tai Chi. His latest work is smaller scaled and often in bronze, but contained all the energy and centeredness of the work I had first encountered. Ju Ming is quoted regarding The Cultivation of Art in saying “The challenge of cultivation is to forget what you have learned and to call back the original self you have lost. Self-cultivation is about planting the seed of art so that it grows to fill your entire person of everything you are”.
   

2. •Fukuoka is important enough to have an Apple Store. Not every major city can yet claim that fact. We took advantage of the timing of the release of the Leopard OS-X operating system to upgrade our computers, what we call our “virtual homes” since each of us travels with his own MacBookPro. We were in luck that we could work with Jun and Tom at the Genius Bar here, as we took full advantage of their computer knowledge and their English language skills, visiting them at Apple on four separate occasions.
   

3. •Fukoka also has grand department stores, Damurai and Mitsukoshi two of the ones we frequented. Damurai is very chic, with an open atrium where we enjoyed lunch at a French Bistro, Japanese style. At Mitsukoshi, Henry acquired a new Tumi backpack here, then we spent time shopping in the food halls of both stores, admiring the perfection of the beautiful food creations and their packaging. We became quite curious about some of the inexplicable and extraordinary kinds of treats unique to the Japanese culture.
   

4. •The Grand Hyatt Hotel’s elegant piano bar featured a charming chanteuse named J’Nae, an attractive blonde from Los Angeles who wowed the crowd and attracted quite a loyal  following of local Japanese during her three-month engagement here. The ambience of the room changed as the lights on an exterior fountain* colored the interior of the room and cast an ever-changing light show on the plexiglas case of the Kaiwa piano in the elegant hotel lounge.
   

5. •Karonouron was a really charming soba noodle shop that we frequented. It has operated on a corner near the Grand Hyatt since 1882 and was a  quaint and cozy restaurant on two floors, both levels crammed with memorabilia and filled with locals. The owner, Yoshi, spoke English, made us feel very welcomed, and very graciously gave me a gift upon our departure.  
   

*The exterior fountain was not any ordinary fountain. Its electronically programmed nozzles shot streams of water in fan shapes and waving patterns, sometimes the water streaming as high as 60 feet in the air.

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. Sleek and minimalist elevator alcove in the Grand Hyatt Hotel lobby. 2. Delicious pastries, stuffed with chestnut paste, being made right before our eyes in the Damurai Food Hall. 3. Interior atrium of Canal City adjacent to the Grand Hyatt Hotel, site of the Halloween Extravaganza. 4. J’Nae, an American chanteuse, performing on stage with her back-up band in the lounge of the Grand Hyatt. The plexiglas piano reflected the ever-changing light cast from the fountain in the atrium of Canal City. Center, Top:  Graphic used as a wall painting in the sweet counter take-out department of Damurai. Center, Bottom: The monolithic columns of the Grand Hyatt Hotel Fukuoka, clad in black granite.   Right Column: 1. Atrium Court at Damurai. We had lunch at a French Bistro here. 2. Our Genius Bar heroes at the Apple Store, Fukuoka: Jun, and Tom. 3. Fukuoka in daylight. 4. Fukuoka at night. The neon lights glamorize this modern port and industrial city.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                            BACK TO MAP PAGE