Day 6

Sorry for the delay. There was no internet in my room.

Today we got a 7:30 wake up call at the Hiroshima Chisun. We then had breakfast which, like it's Osaka counterpart, was a eastern and western buffet. After breakfast, we climbed aboard the bus for the 6 hour transit to Fukuoka. We traveled for about an hour before we stopped at a convenience store to grab a snack to hold us over until lunch. Some people picked up a couple of toys or cards while we were there as well. After reboarding, we were once again on the road. We did make a touring stop. We stopped in Iwakuni to see the Kintai-kyo (Brocade Sash) Bridge and the Iwakuni Castle. The Kintai-kyo Bridge is supposed to look like the sash on a kimono because of its five arches. We also saw beautiful buildings an the other side like this one in front of which Sensei is standing.

Once we crossed the bridge we had to take a cable car up to the castle. The ride up gave us all a spectaular view of the surrounding town and landscape. Once at the end of the ride, we had a short walk up to the castle. The castle did not have a lot to look at. It had 4 floors; and, 3 of them were dedicated to the showing of weaponry. The 4th floor was an observation deck. Because the castle is on top of a small mountain, the view was absolutely astonishing. After finishing the walk about the castle, we headed back down the cable car. We were able to enjoy a little time playing in/by the river before we had to load back up onto the bus.

For lunch, we stopped at a truck station. This was not like American truck stations, however. This truck station had a varity of little food stands and you could get noodles on the inside. Some people got bread from a bakery, some noodles. I, personally, got ramen and rice from the inside. It was delicious! After everyone ate and used the rest room, we were on the road again. It was another 2 hours before we finally got to the hotel in Fukuoka. After quickly unpacking our luggage from the bus and getting a quick tour of the onsen, one group of people went out to do laundry at a local coin laundry.

After we all were at the hotel, we enjoyed a delicious Japanese dinner in yukata; and, we sang kareoke. That was a very amuzing event. Everyone laughed and had a good time. After the final song, most went to the onsen; but, some rented a kareoke room and sang for another hour. After a bath, we retired for the night. Sorry about the delay in this post; there was no internet in the rooms here.