MIYAZAKI TO FUKUOKA

The Sheraton Grand Ocean Resort is not quite in Miyazaki, but the city does have a population of 400,000. Fukuoka, has 1.54 million people, more than the whole state of Hawaii, which has around 1.44 million,

Having to wake up at 5AM, we had a quick breakfast, caught a taxi to Miyazaki Station, and boarded the train to Oita.

We took this longer route because we once came to Miyazaki from Fukuoka using this slower path and saw the most spectacular Fall Colors in our life. Unfortunately, my camera was on the wrong setting, and we did not get much. However, reminiscent of Hokkaido, there was not much to view this time. A few mountain settings where the colors were just beginning to change, an occasional wow scene, but not that overwhelming display of nature we earlier experienced. On this trip:

Train whizzing past a tree.

We had a scary transfer at Oita. When our Miyazaki train arrived, there was our Sonic train waiting, with the exact car number on our ticket just across the way. So we casually got on, thinking we had 38 minutes to get settled, trot out to buy bentos and such. However, as soon as we got on this second train, the doors closed and the train started to move. Turned out that our train was the next one leaving in a little more than half an hour. On the JR, they are not particularly helpful to idiots, and the conductor said we had to get off at the next stop at Beppu....PERIOD! So how do we get back to the Oita Station to catch our Sonic? Well, we were then told to get off and catch our train when it later arrives at Beppu Station. The route of these two trains is the same. The real danger is that, back at the Oita Station, one of us could have gotten off the train to buy the food and drinks, not realizing the other would be stuck with all the luggage. If this first train had waited another few minutes, this would have happened. There is a whole range of worst case endings, we later laughed about, but our fate today turned out okay, just stressful.

At Beppu, we had some time, so I bought a soba lunch, and the ride to Fukuoka was fine.

At the Hakata Station (there is no Fukuoka Sation) we were told to use a Suica card to catch the Airport subway going in the opposite direction and get off at at a certain station. Wrong. We had a long walk to the Ritz Carlton. Next time, back to Hakata, we'll catch a cab. Well after all that, here we were, in front of the Ritz Carlton Fukuoka.

Checking in was classy, by being shown to a table where they poured us a drink of something colorful.

But our reservation was askance, so after a lengthy hassle, we compromised, and got an excellent room and access to the Club Lounge, which might well be the best we ever experience. First our room view, and here you actually can see some Fall Colors.

The Club Lounge has a full bar, and, get this, serves FREE breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and a dessert session. Plus, you can drink anything beginning at breakfast. We spent many hours here.

Our first night for dinner at the Club Lounge. We also had around six drinks, each.

Walked 6932 steps today. But I noticed that that the click-clack of the train also sometimes registers on my pedometer.

The Ritz Carlton Fukuoka only opened a few months ago. It is a truly fine hotel. My posting tomorrow will focus on our visit to Ohori Park in Fukuoka, and more in the Club Lounge, plus our Shinkansen trip from Hakata to Osaka, our next stop.

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