It has been a long time since I was in Fukuoka so I wasn't 100% sure ANYthing would be where I had left it, but I was pretty sure I could find my way to the Korean Embassy, the Hard Rock Cafe, the Mcdonalds/Red Cabbage Supermarket and around the corner and across the bridge to the Twin Hotel. I remembered it being very good last time I stayed. It was a small room but the staff spoke English very well and were super helpful! It had a good shower, fridge, lots of TV channels and plenty of good stuff in the vending machines at the hotel. Even though it was about 70 bucks, I figured I'd stay there this trip even if the price had gone up a bit. I just Googled it and the price is still in the 70 dollar range.
Before I got out of the airport, two immigration agents at the airport asked me to fill in the blank in my arrival card that asked for my Fukuoka address. I said I'd stay at a hotel. They asked which one. I couldn't remember the name at the time but told them it was near the Fukuoka Dome. So they said next time I had better make reservations somewhere and kind of giggled. (both girls) I thought that was weird.
What they probably knew, like the rest of Fukuoka, and I didn't, was that the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks had made it to the playoffs in the Japanese Baseball League, were up 2 games to 1 on the Chiba Lotte Marins, AANNDD there was a game that night! One of the things I love about Japan is they are baseball crazy. One of the things I don't love about Fukuoka, NOW, is looking for a hotel without a reservation when the Hawks have a playoff game that night! I walked around for 5-6 hours, checked about 15 hotels, (with no vacancy), and half a dozen places that weren't hotels at all until I finally found one for about 100 bucks. I didn't care by then. I was exhausted! Lesson learned. The only way I seem to learn travel lessons: the hard way.
Anyway, the following is for myself and anyone else who wants to use it in future for the Fukuoka visa run.
Step one: You get off the plane, do the immigration, baggage claim and customs and then you go down to the ground floor of the Fukuoka Airport. The exit will have a 7-11 beside it. First things first, if you made the mistake of not changing your Korean money at the bank or at the Korean airport, (like I did), don't go to the money changer at the exit of the airport. They have the Korean Won exchange rate listed but they don't exchange it. Go to the bank upstairs. They are friendly and helpful and offer a brutal exchange rate. But it's better than nothing. NOOOObody takes Korean money in Fukuoka. I don't know how much you will need but the visa is around 6000 Yen. Hotel, beer, sightseeing, that's up to you.
Go outside and look for the shuttlebus that has something to the effect of "To Subway" on the sign. It'll be in English and quite easy to spot. Load on in! It's frequent and it's FREE! The best thing about the bus is the ultra mellow bus drivers they have hired! You will see what I mean when you hear their P.A. voices. Take the bus to the second stop. The first stop is the cargo depot. Don't worry, the announcements are made TOO often in English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean so you will know exactly where to get off to get to the subway. It'll be 10 minutes or so. It would help if you had 300 Yen in change.
Step two: After getting off and going to the right, as the announcement on the bus should have told you, you will see the clearly marked subway entrance. Go to one of the machines and get a ticket to Tojinmachi. It's on the orange line going toward Meinohama. You look at the big map above the machines to see what the fare is. It's 300 Yen. Tojinmachi is the 8th stop from the airport. Since the aiport is the last stop on the orange line, there's only one way to go. So this one is easy. To make it even easier, the machines have a button for English. But it's easy to do without translation. Just press 300, put your money in and you're on your way. Don't worry if you don't have 300 Yen in coin. The machines make change for a 1000. Not sure about a 10,000. Probably not.
You go to the turnstile-ish machines and put your ticket in. It'll come out the other side. Pick it up as you go through. Then you just get on the train. You can't go wrong. It'll take about 10 or 15 minutes to get to Tojinmachi.
Go to the exit at Tojinmachi and put your ticket in the turnstile-ish machine again. This time it WON'T give your ticket back on the other side. Find your way to Exit 1. Lots of stairs but it is clearly marked. When you get out you will see this:
If you look left you will see this 7-11 across the street.
Step 3: Walk straight down the street for a few minutes. You will see a BMW sign. Turn right just past the BMW dealership. There's a building across the street with a triangular entrance. If you want, cross over to that side of the street. The Korean Embassy will be on that side. Walk 7-10 minutes down the street. You will pass a Dominos Pizza, and the Chinese Embassy. The Korean Embassy will be the traditional Korean building waving the Korean flag. You'll probably have to wait for a light to cross.
Across the street opposite the embassy is a dual mall facility you may find useful. Just inside the entrance to mall 1, which doesn't look like much, you will find a handy dandy photo booth just in case you don't have your photo for the visa process. I forget how much it costs. Go through to mall 2, (follow the signs), and you will find a Mcdonalds. You will be hungry. Try the grape shakes! They're awesome!
There is a great supermarket near Mcdonalds in the mall called Red Cabbage. They have all you might need if you are planning to avoid eating out. Plus a spectacular selection of alcohol if you are planning to avoid DRINKING out. Both will save you lots of money. And across from the Red Cabbage is a good drug store.
If you go back out to the street and a little up the road toward the Fukuoka Dome you will find a FANTASTIC Hard Rock Cafe. In case you PLAN to eat and drink out.
Farther down the same road, around the corner and across the bridge, on the opposite side the Dome was on, you will find the Twin Hotel. I recommend it. If you are loathe to spend 70 bucks, there are other options online. Google. The Hakata stop, (second stop from the airport), on the subway has lots of hotels in it. I've heard the Heiwa Dei Hotel 5 just outside Toninmachi exit 2 is good and reasonable too. Just once again, book ahead. You'll thank yourself.
Step 4: As long as you got your application, passport, pics, visa number and money in before 11:30 A.M., I'm told you can pick your visa up between 1:30 and 5 two days later. Not the next day, but the day after. I didn't do that on this trip and I have been told it now takes THREE days to do this so I'm not sure. This is what I've read online. I think this means if you can't get on a SUPER early flight and get to the Korean Consulate by 11:30. One extra day will be expensive so the stress of the early flight is worth it.
Step 5: After picking up your passport with the beautiful, shiny work visa in it, just retrace your steps back to the Tojinmachi subway station and pay 300 to get to the airport stop. If, for some reason, you are leaving from Hakata just go to the big entrance, down 2 levels to get a ticket on the orange line to the airport. Be sure you don't try the ground level subway. It's the wrong one. After buying a ticket for 260 Yen go down another level to the subway. Catch the one on the side that says it goes to the airport. It'll be on the signs in English. It's only two stops. When you get to the airport stop there will be signs to the escalators to the shuttlebus. Get the International one. Again it stops at the cargo terminal first then the international terminal.
The bus drops you off on the first floor of the airport. Go to the 3rd floor to check in.
No comments:
Post a Comment