After our long journey train journey spanning the entire
central part of Japan, we arrived at Fukuoka and headed to the nearby Hyatt
Regency Fukuoka, located a mere ten minutes walking from Hakata station.
The hotel was completely sold out for weeks but thankfully
last minute award space opened up, and I manage to snag a night for 4000 Hyatt
points + $50.
The lobby immediately wowed us, with its somewhat unique
ceiling and was a visual treat to look at.
However, such aesthetics come at a price as navigating the
circular hallways proved to be a bit confusing.
Unfortunately, the grandeur of the lobby didn’t crossover to
our relatively bland room.
However, since we were here for just the night and exhausted
from the day-long trip, we didn’t seem to mind, but I was surprised on how dull
the room looked, especially since I was “upgraded” to a renovated room.
The club lounge breakfast selection was surprisingly decent,
with a wide variety of fresh vegetables, along with your typical western
offerings of scrambled egg and sausage.
I’d probably give Hyatt Regency Fukuoka a miss, service
levels were a bit subpar, and if we weren’t visiting during the Sakura season,
I’d pick a locally owned hotel.
After breakfast, we took the Shinkansen to Kumamoto, a city
in the center of the island of Kyushu.
Kumamoto may be most famous for its mascot, Kumamon, whose
merchandise is quite prevalent throughout Japan and the rest of Asia.
In fact,
Kumamon branded merchandise earned over $1 billion in revenue over the past few
years.
Arriving at Kumamoto’s shinkansen station, the ever-present
mascot instantly greets visitors.
As we had just a few hours in Kumamoto, we headed straight
to Kumamoto Castle. Sadly a strong earthquake struck Kumamoto in 2016, causing
various parts of the castle to collapse.
While visitors aren’t allowed into the castle, the outskirts
are open to the public along a marked pathway, and worth a visit, especially
when the blossoms are in full bloom.
My dad is a bit of a train geek, and probably his favorite
part of visiting Kumamoto was riding the Coroco tram from the castle back to
the train station.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better-designed tram
anywhere else in the world, with its leather seats and dedicated dining tables.
Overall Kumamoto is worth a quick stopover during Sakura,
especially if you have the Japan Rail Pass as it takes a mere 40 minutes from
Fukuoka to Kumamoto.
