Around Fukuoka (Cont)

Heading on around Hakata Bay we entered Nishi-ku (Western Ward or District) which stretches from the southwestern part of the city all the way out to land's end on the western side of Hakata Bay. There are actually seven wards in Fukuoka but Higashi-ku, where we started our trip at Deer Island, and Nishi-ku hold the majority of seashore around the Bay. Three other districts share the center shoreline of the city. They are Hakata-ku, Chuo-ku (Central District) and Sawara-ku. The other two districts, Minami-ku (Southern District) and Joonan-ku are situated away from the waterfront. Fukuoka University and St. Sulpice Great Seminary of Fukuoka, where Japanese Catholic priests are trained, are notable landmarks in Joonan-ku.

We stopped to admire the approach to this shrine for seafairers' safety near the point where Hakata Bay meets the Genkai Nada (Sea of Japan)

After we turned the corner moving from the shoreline of Hakata Bay to the Sea of Japan we saw these rocks, male and female, tied together with a sacred rope denoting marriage.

Add caption

As we turned back toward Fukuoka City we traveled some back roads through farm country. The rice harvest was almost finished so I was lucky to find this small-field sized harvester in action. Only the smallest of fields now are harvested the old way with a sickle.

Still following the alternate road we came to Hikizu Bay where the oyster roasting season had just started. We stopped and surveyed the various tents. Each seafood company had a different color jacket to protect the wearer's clothing from the popping juices of some of the seafood.

Many kinds of seafood available to grill

We grilled two baskets of oysters.

Since I wasn't driving I could have a cold draft beer.

We ate in the orange jacket tent.

After we ate our roasted oysters we wlked along the seawall looking at the newly harested oysters being cleaned. On one barge I saw a couple of what looked like non-Japanese men. I walked down to their gangplank and said hello. It turned out they were both from Nepal and here going to school and working as oyster cleaners in their spare time. Both spoke good English and when I said "Goodbye, work hard" in Japanese they responded in well-accented Japanese.

On the way back to Fukuoka City instead of taking the expressway we drove on the old highway 202. 

When I was stationed near here in the early 60's this was the only road that ran from Moji, now incorporated into Kitakyushu, through Fukuoka, and south to Sasebo, Nagasaki and points south. I well remember the time a couple friends and I rode our Maruishi bicycles from Fukuoka to Sasebo. I'm sure the Japanese drivers thought those crazy foreigners had completely lost it. The approximately 125 km (78 miles) ride was a great trip even if a little dangerous on the narrow, crowded roads of those long ago days.