In the world of the unexpected, we had snow on Suo Ochima. There wasn’t much, though I consider any snow outside of a ski hill as too much.
It started to snow when we were at the massive astroturf slide by the dam on Suo Ochima. Three years ago when we first visited, despite the slide being closed, Anita and Eric tried sliding down anyway. Cardboard didn’t prove to be an adequate toboggan. This time, we found a collection of plastic sleds beside the slide, and Rey worked well as long as the rider laid back. Young Hana had the most fun, though the 30 -something adults loved it too.
We left the island, having enjoyed our visit with Eric, Kiyono, Hana and Little Eddie. Next stop: Fukuoka. This added another island to the list of islands I’ve spent at least one night on.
Our first stop was a gluten free bakery, a bit away from the city centre. We cross a river on a very pleasant pedestrian bridge and walked through a quiet neighborhood. Non Gluten Cafe 8302 had many savory crepes on its menu, as well as some delectable deserts. I ate the shrimp and avocado filling of mine, and gave the crepe to Anita. She had a chili one.
After checking in to our self -serve hotel (everything done on line and confirmed on a tablet on site), we were off to an art supply store. Anita recently took a one-week workshop on wood block printing, and was loading up on authentic supplies. The store we went to advertised a plethora of paper, so she was hoping to tap into their expertise. The staff at Bumpodo were exceptionally patient with us, and worked to overcome any language barriers.
Near Bumpodo, there was a very unusual vending machine. It had dog treats, and was located outside of a grooming parlour.
Juliette Knits 