Fukuoka 13th,
Japan 2017-2018

Here in Fukuoka, I see clearly that the relationship between Japan and water is not a simple one. In places where other countries would have build a beautiful promenade along the river, Japan has just build walls and infrastructure. The city gives its back to water. It is not until you go to parks that you find bridges and paths around water bodies.

In other countries, water is tame, it keeps where it is supposed to be, most of the time. But Japanese do not trust its rivers, at least no to the same extend, so it is only along controlled artificial lakes and pounds that urban planners feel safe to build spaces for human leisure. The promenades that I have seen along the river, here in Japan, have a big number of warnings, sirens, and notices so people is ready to run away at a moment notice.

Fukuoka feels more modern than Osaka or Tokyo. But it also has its share of classical Japanese architecture.

As I visit the Fukuoka City Museum, I find an temporal exhibit that I missed when it was being exposed in London. I pay for "The Empire of Imagination and Science of Rudolf Ⅱ" attracted by the painting of the Emperor by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, the fruit man painting. Sometimes one loses an opportunity but it shows up unexpectedly somewhere else.

I go for lunch break to the Moomin Bakery & Cafe. Sadly, I think that the establishment closed during the 2020 pandemic.

At night, I go to Canal City Hakata, close by the train station of the same name. I watch an spectacle of water and lights. It is not the most impressive I have seen, but it is fun.