April 14, 2023 Fukuoka (Hakata), Japan

We were up in the Lido buffet on deck 9 at 7 a.m. for coffee and sharing a cinnamon bun before going down to Deck 4 to be at the bow viewpoint to watch the ship enter the Kanman Strait.

The Kanmon Strait separates the largest island, Honshu, from Kyūshū island. This morning before the dining room opened for breakfast at 8 a.m., the ship travelled through the Strait on her the way to Fukuoka. Kyūshū island is also the closest of Japan's main islands to continental Asia. From here the ship entered Tsushima Strait heading southwest to Hakata Bay and the city of Fukuoka. The distance from the western end of Kanmon Strait to Fukuoka is roughly 35 nautical miles or 65 km. Fukuoka is the capital of Fukuoka Prefecture.

Even though the wind was only southeast at 6 km per hour, the cloudy sky made it feel colder than 16° C. We stayed on the bow listening to periodic commentary for over an hour. We noticed a tower alternately flashing "", then four seconds later, “W” then four seconds later, “3”. A second tower flashed the same signs. It meant that the current in the strait was flowing west at 3 knots per hour. This information is used by ships to help them navigate the strait. There were buildings on the waterfront on both sides of the strait. The eastern entrance had been the site of a major sea battle in the late 12^th century. After passing under the bridge over the strait there was a shrine on the island of Honshu.

Later on the Kyūshū island side there was a Christian church with a domed roof, similar to Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Türkiye.

We had breakfast in the dining room before going to the theatre for Ping Wing Kam’s presentation entitled “Japanese Culture of Seppuku and Harakiri “which explained the samurai tradition of suicide and how it affects the Japanese people over the centuries. The 11 a.m. presentation “The Wizard of Wireless” was given by the Cruise director, Rachel. It gave a history of communication from the invention of Morse code to Marconi’s wireless transmissions across the Atlantic Ocean to today’s use of wireless technology.

There was another form in our mailbox when we returned to our stateroom. This time it advised us that tomorrow staring at 6 a.m., we could choose a numbered card for a time slot for a Japanese Immigration face-to-face passport inspection at the port of Otura. It is the first Japanese port after our visit to Busan, South Korea.

Lunch in the dining room was easy with only four items on the menu: Salmon Chowder as the appetizer, Battered Cod and fries or grilled Salmon Caesar Salad and cheese cake for dessert.

Westerdam docked about 1:30 p.m. and was cleared by Customs before 2 p.m. Rain was gently falling by the time the excursions were departing. From the ship to the cruise terminal there were a series of over a dozen movable enclosures, like four meter clear tunnels, to try to keep the passengers dry. The captain and several crew stood under umbrellas to wave to us, as we entered the terminal on one side of the covered entrance. On the other side, there were about a dozen Fukuoka performers, holding umbrellas and waving blue flags as we passed them. They may have planned to be dancing but the rain changed their plans.

Fukuoka and Hakata merged into one city called Fukuoka, but the airport and train station are named Hakata. There are five million people living in the city and the Fukuoka prefecture (province) has a population of 12.7 million.

There were eight buses of over 40 passengers each for today’s three hour afternoon excursion to Dazaifu Tenman-gū Shrine, dedicated to the god of education. It is Fukuoka’s largest Shinto shrine. The main building of the shrine, the Holden, was under renovation. The original building on the site was constructed in 905 and this version is a reconstruction from 1591. It replaced a smaller shrine that was on this site which was the burial site of Sugawara Michizane (845–903). Sugawara was a ninth-century court noble, politician and scholar, who is enshrined here as Tenjin, the deity of learning, culture, and the arts. There is a reclining ox, which students traditionally rub its nose to bring them knowledge and good luck with their exams. Before you make the final approach to the shrine, there is a a small covered pool of water with bamboo pipes trickling water so that visitors can wash their hands to purify themselves for entry into the shrine area. Then you bow twice, clap your hands twice and say a short prayer then bow again before proceeding.
There are many gardens, ponds, and bridges to view from the winding paths as well as its more than 6,000 plum trees. But the rain discouraged anything but a brief wander. The oldest plum tree in the compound is over 1,000 years old. Along the wide avenue leading to the shrine entrance are many shops and restaurants. Our guide mentioned that we should sample "umegae mochi," a savory local delicacy made of grilled adzuki beans that has long been a tradition. Again the rain discouraged any prolonged exploration of the shops. The passengers were given an hour to explore the shrine grounds but everyone was back to the bus with ten minutes to spare.

We were back at the port by 6 p.m.and quickly changed to go to dinner. Tonight’s tablemates were Yvon and Michelin form Montréal and Americans, Fred and Claire. There was no time for dancing before the 7:35 p.m. show featuring violinist, Juleous Gacang. Since Westerdam was in port until 11 p.m., Larry took the opportunity to post yesterday’s blog in the terminal, but reported that the rain was back and heavily thumping on the covered passage to the terminal.

Steps today 10,213