Yanagawa - A Peaceful Boat Cruise

 In August 2020 I set off with some of my friends to Yanagawa in Fukuoka prefecture. Yanagawa is famous for its eel dishes but we were more interested in exploring the canals of the city. Originally Yanagawa was a farming village, large canals were built for irrigation. Today the area is a famous tourism spot in which tourists can rent a donkobune, a low flat boat navigated via a long pole. The boats are similar to the gondolas seen in Italy. The boat rides cost about 15 euro per person and lasts about 80 minutes.

 

It took us 1.5 hours to drive there by car. We booked the donkobune ride for 6.30pm, as the sun was coming down. It was very quiet at this time as most tourists visit the area during the day and take the train back to Fukuoka city in the evening. We were extremely lucky as we had the whole canal to ourselves. We brought dinner with us, we made ourselves a karaage bento (fried chicken with boiled rice). 

There was a small table in the center of the boat which we used to eat and have a couple of drinks. The captain entered the boat and stood at the back, he navigated the canal by using a large pole. Throughout the ride he pointed out historical parts of the city. At the front was a paper lantern so we could clearly see when the sun went down.

 

The highlight of the evening was when we passed some waterfront shops which sold snacks, sweet sake and souvenirs. The shops were closing down as it was late in the evening but one of the owners came out to greet us as we passed by. As we went under a wide bridge the captain ducked down and began to sing a traditional song. There is an echo under the bridge so his voice could be clearly heard. Overall the experience was very memorable, if you ever come to Kyushu I'd highly recommend coming here. 

Every March there is a large festival in Yanagawa called the "Ohina-sama Water Parade". During this festival young girls dress up in elaborate kimonos and  ride down the canals. unfortunately due to the corona virus this festival has been cancelled for the 2 years that I have lived here. Hopefully I will experience it in March 2022.

Living in a Sleepy Town in Fukuoka Japan

 My husband and I live in a small town in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. When I was first placed here two years ago I was a little hesitant, however, after being here for some time I’m delighted with my placement. We are about 1.5 hours from Fukuoka city which is the largest city in Kyushu and about 1 hour from Beppu, the famous onsen city.

When I say small town, there is actually 25000 people living here. This is a huge population in comparison to the small town in Ireland (Boyle, County Roscommon), that I grew up in, which has a population of 2500. Despite this the town seems so much more rural than Boyle.

The main signs of life is from the schools in the area. Large amounts of students can be seen on their commute to and from school every day, but outside of this the town is in a quite slumber. We have two convenience stores, a Family Mart and a 7/11, a 100 yen store, a few grocery stores and a couple of small restaurants dotted around the town.

We live on the second floor of a small apartment complex. In the summer months we can hear the cicadas screaming outside the front of the apartment. At night time we are lulled to sleep by the sounds of the chirping of the crickets. At the back of the apartment there is a small pond so we can hear the low vibrations and croaks of the bull frogs and the general chirps and squabbles from the birds.

When I moved here first the sounds of the wildlife were distracting rather than peaceful. I remember the cicadas were so loud that they woke me from my sleep. I find the croaking frogs very entertaining and they still put me in a fit of giggles most evenings.

One of my favourite things to do is to take a wander around the outskirts of the town. There are a couple of small shinto shrines hidden around which normally have some cats hanging around eating some food that locals have left out for them. When I find them I feel like I’m in a studio Ghibli movie.

There are plenty of beautiful rice paddies scattered around the landscape. Coming from Ireland I have little knowledge of growing rice so it is nice to see the stages during the four seasons. It reminds me of Irish bogs and the steps you have to take when cutting turf.

I enjoy looking at the different types of architecture around the town from the traditional kawara roofs ( clay tile roofs) to western style houses that look like doll houses taken directly from the set of the Truman show. Some of the houses are very worn down and look like they have been abandoned, however, much to our surprise we have noticed that most of these homes are actually occupied.

This town has many similarities to rural towns in Ireland. The majority of the population appears to be from the older generation or young families. Most of the youth in this area finish school and move to larger cites. I suppose there are little job opportunities which causes many to leave the area. Also most people living here can drive and prefer to do their shopping and to socialize in the larger neighbouring towns and cities.

Despite it being a sleepy town, we are both really happy with our surroundings. Most foreigners that visit Japan only get to experience living in big cities and have very little experience of living in a more rural location. The people that live here are extremely kind and patient with us and our extremely poor knowledge of the Japanese language. More importantly we feel that we have experienced a different side of Japan, not the Japan that can be found in holiday brochures.