Japan visit in 2010

[DBZMAN]

Hello everyone!

My wife and I will be going to Japan next year to visit her Mother. I was wondering what time of the year would be the best (weather, activities, etc) and if there were any interesting things to do near Fukuoka.

I will be taking my 19 year old son along so I would like him to experience some things while he is there.
I had planned on taking him to a baseball game but I am not sure if this is a good idea.

Help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[kaleb_zero]

I personally loved my time in Fukuoka! I went to GenkiJACS Japanese School there and enjoyed a lot of activities and outings, including yes a Baseball game!

Personally, I found that fall or spring are the best seasons for travelling to Japan in general.
Baseball games are awsome.
Near Fukuoka is Dazaifu temple which is surrounded by a nice very traditional town which was bustling with people and all sorts of interesting shops when I went there.

Enjoy your time there!

[DBZMAN]

Would it be best to go before or after Golden Week?

We were thinking late May.

Tnanks!

[kaleb_zero]

Weather wise, Fukuoka is pretty much great anytime outside of mid summer (when it gets crazy hot).
It's really you're own choice, you're going to be there too late to see any Sakura blossoms, etc. (then again given that they only bloom for about a week, planning a trip's timeline in order to see them usually doesn't work out).

I don't know about Fukuoka but I can tell you that Tokyo changes dramatically during golden week, as everyone returns home to visit their hometown and see their family, and thus the normally bustling Tokyo becomes comparitivley empty in some areas.. Fukuoka and other non-Tokyo-area cities may actually experience the opposite effect.

But I digress.. You're asking if before or after golden week would be a better time to visit?
My answer would be to compare the the cost of airfair, etc.
Weather isn't going to be all that different if its only a 4 week difference in when you go.

A last minute comment about Fukuoka...
Please enjoy some hakata ramen (a.k.a. tonkotsu ramen) when you're there.. I really miss that type of ramen from Fukuoka..

[Quemaqua]

How did you like attending GenkiJACS, kaleb? Of all the schools and such I've looked at, that's the most appealing to me. I've been considering at some point in the future (likely not for a good while) trying to either get extended leave from my job or just up and @#$&ing quit to go indulge in some 日本語の勉強 for 6 months or so overseas. Fukuoka always seemed like a really cool place to me, and that school sounds like it would fit my personality a bit better than most. The fact that they can help you out with housing and such is a huge boon, since some places have more limited options or would need you to figure out getting accommodations on your own.

[DBZMAN]

What do you like about Fukuoka?
I have to plan some activities for my Son so that he will have a great time.
I am hoping that this trip is one that he will remember for a long time.
My Wife and I will be visiting her Mother so we will have to really plan if we are going to do other things (sight seeing, etc).

[Quemaqua]

Gotta' say, reading through some of your blog was actually something I'd meant to do a while ago, but I kind of forgot about it. Just going through it tonight was pretty inspiring, though. I feel really charged up right now. And that's a good thing. So thanks for that!

[Pasjonsfrukt]

That was a really interesting blog, Kaleb. Thanks for posting it!

[DBZMAN]

Well we survived the trip to Fukuoka. My son had a great time, especially at the baseball game. I could not believe the level of energy that I saw there.

My wife’s parents were great. They drove us everywhere that we needed or wanted to go. We were lucky that the rail line and a small food store were close to my Wife’s house in Iizuka City.

Here are a few of the things that we did while there:

1. We went to Kumamoto Castle.
2. Bepu hot springs
3. Nagasaki
a. Famous kite shop (hata ya)
b. Peace park
c. Local magician/ psychic (Mr. Toshihide Hisamura) Anderusen
d. Madam Butterfly house (see below)
4. Soft Bank Hawks baseball game (vs. Hanshin Tigers) Hawks Won!!!!
5. Visited a large Buda statue (Nanzouin)
6. Blood Pond near Beppu
7. Some Pachinko
8. Aso Volcano
9. And of course lots of shopping!

Madame Butterfly’s house (Glover Garden (グラバー園 Gurabāen?) is a park in Nagasaki, Japan built for Thomas Blake Glover, a Scottish entrepreneur who contributed to the modernization of Japan in shipbuilding, coal mining, and many other fields. In it stands the Glover Residence, the oldest Western style house surviving in Japan and Nagasaki's foremost tourist attraction.
It is located on the Minamiyamate hillside overlooking Nagasaki harbor. It was built by Hidenoshin Koyama of Amakusa island and completed in 1863. It has been designated as an Important Cultural Asset. As the house and its surroundings are reminiscent of Puccini's opera, it is also known as the "Madame Butterfly House." Statues of Puccini and diva Miura Tamaki, famed for her role as Cio-Cio-san, stand in the park near the house. This house was also the venue of Glover's meetings with rebel samurai particularly from the Chōshū and Satsuma domains.

Can’t wait until the next time!