Our Fukuoka sojourn redeemed our Japan trip. It is user-friendly and we enjoyed getting to know it (and eating the fish and shellfish there). A piece on CNN gave it a good review and we agree.
We flew on ANA to Fukuoka from CTS (New Chitose Airport) in uncomfortable coach (with no food). We tried to upgrade at the airport but there was only one seat available in Premium (it was the same problem we've had around 4 times trying to book business class on domestic ANA flights). It was a 2+ hour flight at lunchtime. Fortunately, we had emptied the refrigerator at our Vale Niseko apartment so we had a picnic in the waiting area of crudités, cheese, crackers, and fruit (including the great strawberries from Kyushu, the island where Fukuoka is located).
A car service, arranged by the Ritz Carlton, was waiting for us when we exited baggage. Boy, was that driver annoying. Instead of where the concierge of the Ritz Carlton told us to meet the car, the driver wanted us to walk (through the rain) to his car. Dimitri said we would go to the previously designated spot and wait for the driver to come get us. Otherwise, our arrival was uneventful.
We were thrilled to learn from the Ritz General Manager, Radu Cernia, that he had upgraded us to a corner, deluxe one-bedroom king suite at the price of the standard room that we booked (US$644.30 per day). We loved the suite and we loved the design. Fukuoka is encircled by mountains and the sea. Our suite on the 21st floor gave us a panoramic view, as well as a bird's eye view of the roofs of all of the buildings below the Ritz Carlton.
Sanjay and Saida brought us to the suite for check-in, a nice touch. When we walked in, there was an entry with a perfect bench for Audre’s cell phone so she wouldn’t forget it when going out. That’s where the second bathroom (complete with a Toto toilet) was too.
Then came a large living room with a mini bar area and a table that Audre used as her desk. The coffee table was laid out with a beautiful Japanese tea set and a beautiful ceramic box. In it were the famous Kyushu Island strawberries (probably from Saga), sweets, and the most delicious kumquats (most delicious since the time we were eating kumquats from the tree in Dimitri’s yard in Manhattan Beach).
The next room was the bedroom with Dimitri’s desk followed by the dressing room, another (Toto) toilet, and the master bathroom, with an expansive view. We really love having two toilets, especially Totos.
The light wood, the rugs, the art, and the furnishings were very much to our taste. We were thrilled that we had been upgraded. If it weren't for the incompetent IT guy, Cham, and the disaster he created with our Alexa device, our stay at the Ritz Carlton would have been just about perfect.
During our stay, Radu, the GM, visited us at
breakfast; that was great fun and very interesting. We met and talked to a
lovely woman from Niseko named Sachi. She told us about a
special exhibit at the Kyushu National Museum. Dimitri figured out how to get
to the town of Dazaifu by train and off we went to the museum to see the paintings
by the Edo master Rosetsu Nagasawa. It was a great exhibit in a user-friendly
museum.
We were given a butterfly tea by Cinne, a Senegalese front desk employee, and it was a beautiful blue color that turned red/purple when something was added. It represented the sea and the sunsets that can be viewed from the lobby bar.
The breakfast buffet (included in our room rate) was extensive and very delicious. The French toast was moist in the middle and crisp on the outside—just like we want it to be. The Japanese selections were excellent as was the fruit—including delicious strawberries that really tasted like strawberries. Mayumi, Shiro, and the rest of the staff could not do enough for us. Speaking of strawberries, when we visited Japan in April 2016, we bought the astronomically expensive strawberries. We didn't think they were special. On our 2024 trip, we ate strawberries that we thought were delicious and happily paid about US$1.35 each for them. The small ones were better than the more expensive larger ones.
Our first
contact with Radu, the GM (months before our arrival) was to ask about the Jacuzzi and its temperature. He said
it would be 38°. When we
went to the top floor to the pool and Jacuzzi it was great. After all of the
separate gender Onsen we’d experienced, we were finally able to soak together.
We asked for the temperature to be raised 1 degree and it was! The only problem
was the aluminum tubes that we were supposed to lie on—they were unbelievably
uncomfortable.
Radu invited us to have a Kaiseki lunch at the Japanese restaurant, Genjyu, at the hotel. Radu’s wife, Young, joined us. We had a fabulous time getting to know Radu and Young, as well as eating the beautiful food by Hirotaka Nakashima, the Kaiseki Chef. It was the highlight of our entire 2024 Japanese trip!
Our dinners were arranged by Dimitri, with the help of Yuki, Assistant Chief Concierge of the Ritz Carlton. Yuki was invaluable. We were going to Japanese restaurants with no menus in English and no staff that spoke English.
Yuki arranged either a set menu (called a course menu) or he ordered a meal for us before we went. We ate very, very well and did not feel like we were eating in touristic places because there were no foreigners in the restaurants at all!
Before we arrived in Fukuoka, Dimitri had arranged for us to meet two different local people in order to help them with their English. The Conversation Exchange website pairs you with people of an age you designate who want to speak a language you designate. We had met locals very successfully in China and we did the same thing in Fukuoka. We met Toshie and then we met Masa. With Masa, we walked the Ohori Park and its Japanese Garden. Then we went to lunch together. It was a great day out together.
Getting around Fukuoka by train and subway was easy (because Dimitri is very good at that kind of thing and because the system is well-organized and very user-friendly). Dimitri also figured out how to use Uber in Japan and that worked out well (although it was much more expensive than we would have liked). The city does not have interesting architecture--it just looks utilitarian. The new Ritz Carlton building, in contrast, is striking. When we went to the Kyushu National Museum we saw the architecture of the homes in that area of Dazaifu. It was traditional and very pleasing.
We went to the canal area of Fukuoka to find a gift for Pat who had invited us to dinner upon our return to Vail. We wanted to get a scroll with a Japanese-inspired print on it. We couldn't find anything at Canal City mall. So off we went to the Grand Hyatt (near the mall) to talk to the concierge there. It turned out Mikako Tani, (Tani-san) the Chief Concierge, was perfect. She sent us to the absolutely correct shop in Kawabata Arcade. When we told her we wanted to eat the famous Fukuoka ramen for lunch, she sent us to Hide-Chan Ramen in the Ramen Stadium area of the Canal City mall. It was delicious and, when Mikako showed up at Hide-Chan to talk to us again, we were surprised and delighted!
One night we had a fun and delicious course menu at Gohan-ya Hansuke. It was a menu of at least 8 courses, including pufferfish (delicious and tender), a large amount of Hokkaido uni (fabulous), whale tongue (a first for us), blue crab, abalone, and many other delicacies. The certified fugu (pufferfish) chef came to our table several times to explain (even though the restaurant was full and busy) and spoke to us (using Google translate) after the meal too. If it weren't for the annoying and loud family sitting next to us, the meal would have been our best in Fukuoka.
It was not quite spring when we were in Fukuoka. In the lobby of the Ritz Carlton, there were cherry blossoms. The trees outside had not yet bloomed.
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