Japan Trip (Part 1)

This will be a very long story based on a two-week journey from Fukuoka to Tokyo through various transportation methods. I hope this will benefit visitors without JR Pass, just like us, and simply try new (adventurous) things. 

Highlights of this journey:

• Overnight ferry between Fukuoka and Osaka
• Cute and retro trains in Kyoto
• Overnight train from Osaka to Tokyo
• Cycling around lakes in Kawaguchiko, near Mt. Fuji
• Bike sharing app in major cities

The first part of this journey involved several mishaps and surprises, starting with reschedule (gasp!) flights by Philippine Airlines (PAL). We (my friend Saki and I) bought flight tickets from Jakarta to Fukuoka, and Tokyo to Jakarta, both with layover in Manila. Originally, we would have an overnight layover in Manila for our flight to Fukuoka. But due to rescheduling, we could continue our flight to Fukuoka with around 3 hours transit in Manila. However, we already booked a hotel room near the airport, and poof, just like a thin air we could not refund that one. 

The next surprise came when we were doing check in at the airport in Soekarno Hatta (CGK, Jakarta). Somehow the staffs could not find our names in the ticket lists. How come??? We were told to wait, so after about 30 mins, we were called and finally they gave us our boarding passes. We found a nice area to relax at the reading corner in Terminal 3 to kill some time before boarding. Long story short, we boarded, had our midnight meal just like suhoor, and then arrived in Manila. 

Terminal 2 NAIA

In Terminal 2, Manila, the waiting area was rather simple, no fuss. It was like CGK Terminal 2 kind of vibe, in between old and new, without any decorations or fancy ornaments. The good thing was there were several water dispenser with hot water so you could even make your own instant ramen. The small kiosks selling coffee, tea, snacks, and some foods also received card payment. There were some spots arranged like working areas with proper tables and chairs, and plugs. In the morning, the sunshine provided warmth and cozy atmosphere, so we decided to took some seats and watched a movie I have downloaded on my iPad, The Menu. 

Unfortunately, the screens showing information were only available at limited spots. Until we finished the movie, we had no idea where was our boarding gate. We only knew the boarding time. So when the time came, we walked to the central area to check the information screen, and we finally found our boarding gate number. We walked, expecting people lining up, but oh boy we were wrong. It was empty, and we were the last ones. I was about to enter the toilet when I suddenly heard the announcement: "Final call for Ms Arief..." so I gave up toilet and ran to the boarding gate. Saki was waiting for me, she tried calling me before via WhatsApp. "Everyone is already inside." Definitely our first time getting a final call. 

Another surprise came when we just arrived at Fukuoka airport. It was a small airport. And there were not many Indonesian passengers with us at that time. When we just finished collecting our baggages, two staffs approached us. A woman with a trained dog sniffing our baggages, and a man with a poster with several images of meat products from Indonesia such as Abon. They asked us whether we had meat products in our possessions. The asked us in a very nice and kind way, so of course we could not lie to say no. And the dog was still there, it knew. 

Fukuoka Airport

We were asked to come with them to a desk, and they asked us to open our baggages. Saki had some beef rendang, which was supposed to be given to her brother in Tokyo. I had some chicken and beef abon, fortunately in a small amount. Apparently, there was a policy for meat originated from several countries, including Indonesia, were not allowed to enter Japan. Then, the staff gave us a paper with full explanation why and what meat are not allowed, and the consequences such as paying a big amount of fine and imprisonment. So yeah, good bye our meat, sayonara!

Our misery on day one ended there. After that, things went smoothly. We arrived at our Airbnb apartment swiftly, and had a good time enjoying halal wagyu not far from Hakata Station, called Kiwamiya. 

The line!

It's halal yay!

We bought the 150g option and the rice-miso soup-salad set. 

It seemed that place was pretty popular because we had to wait in line for more than 30 mins. There were many tourists as well, and the price was very reasonable. It was very delicious! Highly recommended! Osusume!

to be continued