Hey Hive/Steemit!
So if you didn't catch the last couple of posts, we're currently on a journey in Fukuoka that we went on back in May 2017! Neither of us had ever been to that part of Japan before and since there were some cheap flights we decided to go explore a new region together! Here we go!
Last week, we finished up our day of discovering the Fukuoka Castle Ruins by heading to Ichiran for dinner and briefly exploring a huge mall called Canal City Hakata! And we also spent the next day goofin' off in the JR Hakata City mall where we played a couple of crane games (among others) and won a huge Neko Atsume plush!
25 May 2017. Thursday.
Today was special since we were gonna be visiting another landmark! Specifically, the tallest seaside tower in Japan - Fukuoka Tower!
We didn't really have any other plans and since it's sorta become a thing for us to visit skyscrapers and towers (having visited Tokyo Skytree, 85 Sky Tower in Taichung and Harukas 300 in Osaka), we decided to check this one out too!
If you've read the other posts for when we visit towers/skyscrapers, you'd know that our strat for visiting these places is to go there during the early evening so we have time (and daylight) to explore the tower itself before getting to enjoy the sunset as the day winds down, and slowly see the city lights come on. Or at least, that's our goal anyway. We actually only managed to employ this strat most effectively in Tokyo Skytree I think, due to scheduling and/or weather conditions.
Anyway, about Fukuoka Tower; It stands at a height of 234m above sea level, making it the tallest beach tower in Japan. Located in Fukuoka's western subcenter, it's covered by as many as 8000 half-mirrors and is known by the name of Mirror Sail; boasting a sharp appearance with it's triangular structure. (Cr: Yokanavi)
Unfortunately, you can't really notice the triangle shape in the pictures I took because of the angle but here's what it looks like:
Source: ZEKKEI Japan
From the outside the tower actually looks quite inconspicuous. I think I actually didn't really notice it at first. Maybe because I was used to the height of the Tokyo Skytree so I was looking for something similar and this one seemed like any other building.
But once I actually recognised it as the tower it does actually look quite impressive, especially with all the mirrors. And I think this is the first triangle shaped building I've ever seen, so that's cool too.
We were extra lucky that day because when we went by to the tower, we actually saw a cutie in the form of a corgi!!
Corgi is (one of if not my absolute) favourite breed of dog and he looked so adorable! I guess his hooman brought him out here to the beach for a walk. How lucky for us!
Since it was still early evening and would be quite a while 'til sunset, we decided to check out the beach (and maybe stalk the corgi) for a bit.
The beach itself was actually pretty huge; with a couple of shops and old-style buildings connected to the dock, and a wide sand area; probably one of the widest I've ever seen. I don't think the beaches are this vast in Singapore.
It was actually pretty nice beach weather too; windy but not warm. And just cooling enough for me to still wear a sweater. Most of the shops were closed though; I guess maybe it was too early for them to be open or something.
I guess they were supposed to be bars and restaurants but everything was closed. Maybe it was due to the construction going on nearby, or they were doing some remodeling or something. We weren't sure. But there was definitely nothing to buy here at the time.
We were pretty intrigued by these European-style buildings though. It kinda reminded me of Santorini-style architecture.? Either way it was definitely very cool-looking and definitely didn't feel like Japan at all.
And we were so excited to go check it out but unfortunately the entrance gate was locked! And there was no other proper way in that we could see. So we could only admire the place from here. I guess some people were having the same thought and were just gathered out here, trapped behind the gates. What a shame.
After that, we just took a nice leisurely stroll along the beach, checking out the other small buildings and just enjoying the seaside breeze.
A short while later, we came across our corgi friend! Looks like he finally made it to the beach!
We just hung around him for a little bit, surreptitiously taking photos because I was too shy to ask if I could pet him and we weren't sure if the owner spoke English anyway.
He's too cute!
There were quite a few people at this side of the beach, and a whole group playing volleyball! Still not as crowded as Singapore beaches thanks to how spacious it is here though.
We took a couple more shots with the tower before heading down the beach more.
The sun was still pretty high, so we had plenty of time to go up the tower. And I believe this was the first beach we ever visited in Japan so we tried to make the most of it (without getting too dirty). If we had brought swim suits and clothes to change it would've been a nice beach day for sure!
We didn't really want to walk too far from the tower since we would have to walk back, and as we were getting hungry, we took a break at one of the benches and had a snack!
I was actually quite surprised with how many people there were over on this side of the beach since it was practically a ghost town where all the closed shops were. But there were so many people exercising here.
I don't think this area was near any residential places too, so it was kinda odd, but good to see people out here staying healthy and fit!
There were actually quite a few nets set up for volleyball too! I wouldn't be surprised if there were volleyball tournaments held here.
After that, we started making our way back towards the tower since it was getting close to 6pm already. There was a short balcony near the tower where you could see how far the coast goes.
And I managed to get this awesome-looking shot!
We started making our way to the entrance and got a shot of the mirror panels before heading in. It kinda gave the illusion of the whole building being tinted and secretive.
It was actually surprisingly empty when we arrived, and we managed to get our tickets immediately.
The elevator ride wasn't too long or exciting, and in less than a minute we were at the observatory in the 5th floor of the tower!
It definitely gave a fantastic panoramic view of the city and a beautiful sea view as well!
Here was that European-style place we were barred from entering. It looks like a small little enclave from up here. So cool! Ah if only we could actually go in!
The observatory itself was actually pretty cramped, all things considering. There were quite a few pillars taking up space and I guess it was the triangle shape that was limiting its spatial capacity. Thankfully we were one of the only ones there but if it was crowded I can see this becoming quite claustrophobic.
In front of a couple of windows, they had these boards that showed you the various landmarks you could see from there, which was actually really helpful! Especially since most people who come here are tourists whom might not be able to identify what these areas.
What's curious about this particular board however, was that they actually labelled Singapore on it! I'm not sure if this is actually true, but I guess it is.? It seems quite impossible to actually see it though, but cool nonetheless. I guess if you have super vision you could see Singapore over 4.5km away!
The view itself here was actually really nice too! With the clouds streaking across the sky like this:
Anyway, I think that's gonna be all for this post! Sorry to cut it so abruptly but there's still quite a lot of content left and I don't want this to get too long.
Tune in next week when we explore more of Fukuoka Tower! Thanks so much for reading!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
Check out my previous post in this series!
TacoCat’s Travels #97 (Japan 4.0: Fukuoka): Itchin' for Ichiran, Snacks and Arcades! 🍜
