Fukuoka Snowstorm!

We don't get much snow in these parts. But yesterday, we had more snow in 24 hours than we had all last year. Naturally, our first response was to get the camera out and go goof off outside.

Doesn't she look like she's thinking about throwing a snowball at me?

Oh, she's definitely thinking about throwing a snowball at me.

Yup, there she goes. (She missed.)

Not every day you see a snow-covered palm tree.

Or, for that matter, a snow penguin.

Japanese houses look cool in the snow.

After deciding that our neighborhood wasn't quite cool enough, we decided to schlep ourselves up to Atago Jinja, a hilltop shrine across the river from our place.

This being Fukuoka, the snow had melted by afternoon, but not before we could get out and enjoy ourselves a bit.

Language Lesson

雪が降っています!

ゆきがふっています!

yuki-ga futte-imasu!

snow falling is!

It's snowing!

Taiko!

Loud drums in a big, echoing room? Never gets old.

Fukuoka Tower

They say you never really see your town until someone comes to visit. Now, Nana and I get around Fukuoka quite a bit - but somehow we'd never managed to get up Fukuoka Tower, despite the fact that we ride our bikes right past it about a billion times a week.

(Yes, that's yesterday. And pretty much every other day.)

This weekend, we had a couple sunny days and some friends from Korea in town on a visa run. The tower was on the top of their list, so we were more than happy to oblige. Perfect timing, too: we got to the top just in time for sunset.

Looking up from the base. As you can see, the thing's actually empty -
just a run-of-the-mill radio tower sheathed in reflective glass.

Looking north, over "our" beach.

Looking east, over Hakata Bay.

Looking south, towards the mountains.

Hey, I can see my house from here!
It's down by the confluence of those little rivers.

Looking west, towards Itoshima.

That mountain is Gofuji, which is Japanese for "little Fuji."

Of course, the views aren't the only attraction on the observation decks - the tower is also home to the obligatory kitsch. Take, for example, this, um, sculpture?

"Something will happen when the lovers touch the wings."

Nothing happened.

Seems me and Nana were the only ones without the spark.

 Apparently, serious lovers could buy a heart-shaped lock, write a love note on it, and latch it to the observation deck railing. According to my sources, this is a thing.

Also a thing? Tiny Shinto shrines, 123 meters up in the air.

 Anyway, the whole experience left us feeling very enthusiastic.

Bonus: Some cool night shots, as we made our way from the tower to Nishijin.

Early Morning Bike Ride

I've got to say, it's a lot easier to get your morning exercise in when the bike ride looks like this:

Don't let the sunshine fool you, though - February here can still be bitter, bitter cold!