Ohori Park has large pond that once was part of the moat system of Fukuoka Castle.
It has gardens, and playing fields, and landscaped groves of peach, plum, and cherry trees. The peach and cherry trees were still in bloom.
The ruins of Fukuoka Castle still retain some of the slanted stone ramparts.
And a towering castle turret undergoing repairs.
We explored the park this morning hoping to beat predicted rain which never materialized. It was one of those wonderful walking days, slightly cloudy and in the mid-60s.
From the park we caught a bus that dropped us off at a stop near a museum showing the work of local artists.
We weren’t allowed to take photos, which was an unnecessary proscription. Nothing really stood out.
Next on our culture cruise was the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum. On exhibit were examples of Chinese calligraphic art on narrow paper banners. The spare sweep of the brushstrokes seem to add a light, floating beauty to the written language, but I had the same feeling I have when puzzling out Arabic script in a museum, how I want the writing to stop and let a picture take its place.
From the Asian Art Museum we went to Canal City, a futuristic never-ending forever mall of escalators and tunnels and store-jammed floors connected by walkways overlooking one of the major Fukuoka canals. It was mobbed, a crazy commercial hell that made us want to flee to the nearest Shinto shrine.
The bustle and the calm.