How to travel from Fukuoka Airport to Kagoshima by Shinkansen (Day 1)

We left Singapore in the wee hours of Monday morning (16 Nov). Six hours and two in-flight movies later, our SQ flight landed at 8.20am at Fukuoka International Airport.

First impressions? Wah seh the cool autumn wind is soooooooo nice!!! J

Fukuoka Airport Departure Hall - I don't have any pics of the Arrival Hall coz we were in a rush!

This is a rather tiny airport and no other planes arrived the same time we landed. We managed to clear immigration and collect our luggage in under 30 minutes. A  hallmark of Japanese efficiency I suppose!

After entering the arrival hall, we looked around for the signage for the free shuttle bus that would take us to the Domestic Terminal. We found it pretty easily. Just turn right at the arrival hall, take the escalator down and follow the signage.

The shuttle bus was already waiting at the bus stop when we came down the escalator and we quickly boarded. The bus was filled with people already and we had to stand for the entire journey. However, it was fine as the trip was pretty short – about 20 minutes only.

Konnichiwa Kyushu (16 to 28 November 2015)

We are back in the land of the rising sun again after our honeymoon in Hokkaido in 2014! Over 13 days in November 2015, we travelled the length and breadth of this beautiful yet underrated part of Japan, traversing five out of the seven prefectures on the island (Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Kumamoto and Oita)! Despite spending close to two weeks here, there are still a lot of places left unexplored! 

(The stars shows the various places of attractions that we were looking to visit – we did not make it to all of them, especially those on the west coast. Reason to go back again next time!)

As with our previous holiday, we rented a car on this trip which allowed us to journey to the more remote parts of Kyushu. I loved the freedom and flexibility of having our own ride. We went where we wanted to and we could stop anywhere we liked (as long as traffic rules permit). We explored places well beyond the usual tourist traps and into ulu mountain villages and small towns not found in the typical guidebooks.

This really paid off because we were rewarded with a rich cultural experience of living like locals. What left the deepest impression for me was how warm and friendly the people are. Throughout this entire trip, we had a lot of chance encounters and interactions with the locals due to the places we stayed at and it is these human connections that made this a very special trip for us.

Kyushu! We’ll be back! 

10 Days Busan Seoul Itinerary

Finally! I have finished writing about our entire Korea trip! For easy reference, I have consolidated all the links to the travel posts here:

Day 1

• Transfer from Seoul to Busan by KTX
• Hotel Almond Busan
• Busan Station and Surroundings

Day 2

• Haedong Yonggunsa Temple
• Dalmaji-gil in Haeundae
• Dongbaekseom, Haeundae Beach & BEXCO
• Shinsegae Centum City

Day 3

• Taejongdae
• Gamcheon Culture Village
• Song Sang-hyeon Square & Seomyeon
• Samgwangsa Temple Buddha Birthday Lantern Festival

Day 4

• Yangdong Folk Village
• Gyochon Traditional Village
• Nampodong

Day 5

• Transfer to Seoul by KTX
• Hotel Rian
• Sungshin Women's University & Myeongdong

Day 6

• My Love From Another Star Exhibition at KINTEX
• Heyri Art Village
• Gyeonggi English Village
• Sulbing

Day 7

• Seoul Grand Park
• Apgujeong Rodeo
• LINE Friends Store & Cafe
• Banpo Hangang Park

Day 8

• Petite France & Nami Island

Day 9

• Insadong & Bukchon Hanok Village
• Samcheongdong & City Hall
• Dongdaemun Design Plaza

Day 10

• Issac Toast
• Gwangjang Market
• Hyehwa Theatre District

Annyeong Korea! It's been fun! Hope I get a chance to visit again soon! :)

Hyehwa Theatre District (Day 10)

After Gwangjang Market, we hopped on a bus to Hyehwa, a vibrant theatre district frequented by youngsters.

Gwangjang Market (Day 10)

On the last day of our Korea adventure, we decided to keep our sightseeing close to our hotel because we had a plane to catch in the afternoon.

First, we walked over to Gwangjang Market, one of the oldest and largest traditional markets in Korea.

If you’re a fan of Korean street food, then this place would be a food paradise for you. It is particularly famous for bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) and gimbap. If street food is not your thing, there are also several sit-down restaurants serving Korean cuisine to choose from.

Unfortunately, we arrived too early in the morning (around 9am) and many of the shops weren’t open yet. Most of the food stalls were still busy preparing food so we could only take in the sights and the smells!