"Fuku- Whatta?" a Fukuoka Travel Page by sillyjj

Yup, like most fresh grads, I went to Japan to teach english as an English teacher. The pay was good and it allowed me a base from wich to travel & explore souteast Asia. I highly recommend it to anyone even remotely interested!

I lived in Mizumamachi, Fukuokaken (which is on the southern island of Kyushu) for 2 years. While there, I was able to take up Ikebana (flower arranging), travel around Japan, learn to make temari (embroidered balls), and eat loads of Japanese culinary delights such as BBQ eel, whale sashimi, and pigs feet.

I lived in a very small, rural town (that isn't on most maps) called Mizuma-machi. Mizuma is 1 hour south of Fukuoka city by train. It is sleepy, small, surrounded by rice paddies and really nice farming people. I lived above a sake shop which sold beer and rice from a vending machine. Across the street was field after field of rice paddies. One of my favorite things to do in the late afternoon was ride a bicycle through the paddies and listen to the wind in between the grains.