Fukuoka

My flight is from Osaka to Hong Kong (where I say goodbye to Dad), then to Taipei and Fukuoka.

I meet Yuka on the flights toward Fukuoka and I tell her that in Taiwan, Hee Sopp Choi is on the EA "Fantasy Baseball 2005" game poster, rather than a player who has actually done anything impressive. (Hee Sopp Choi is from Korea.) Yuka agrees that Ichiro Suzuki is not on the poster because the Chinese don`t like the Japanese. Yuka has been to Mongolia and Bangkok with her Christian group, but doesn`t want to go to China, because she just doesn`t like the Chinese. History is not quickly forgotten here.

I arrive at Fukuoka customs at 8:30 p.m. My itinerary is a point of contention. I am asked "why?" ten times. (The answer is that I paid for a three month air pass, so flying on Cathay Pacific is free.) Officers show me a poster with pictures of various forms of contraband. Do I have any? Do I have any? Do I have any? (The answer is "no".) I am escorted to a special room. My microphone is unscrewed. (I did not know this was possible.) At 9:15, my bags are reassembled and I am allowed to leave despite my suspicious activity.

I stop at the "Information" and "Hotel Reservation" desks. They have closed. I call three Youth Hostels. People who answer tell me that they are closed. I consult the "Rough Guide to Japan," which suggests a hotel, the "New Simple". A woman whom I meet at my subway stop guides me to the door with her daughter, and tells me that I am in a central location. Maybe, I will stay here.

This morning, I stop at the Information Desk next to the main train station. The Fukuoya Hawks are out of town, so I won`t see baseball in the first retractable dome in Japan. Nagasaki is close. I can go there if I want. The 9th Floor of the bus station offers free Internet access, a privilege that I am abusing. Whoo Hoa!