When Fukuoka, Nokonoshima And The Marigolds Found Me

Spending a day with the flowers of Nokonoshima Island Park

As a traveler to Japan, I am a late bloomer. Whenever I plan to spend a week-long trip, I always end up with a month-long vacation in the USA.

For one, a week’s stay in Japan will cost me the same amount as a round trip ticket to Chicago or San Francisco and still have some spares for food. I hopped from one relative to another in the US, a great saving.

But I always wanted to visit Japan. That “want” started when I joined a group of Japanese dentists who held a dental mission here in the Philippines. They talked about Nagano. They defined kindness and professionalism. But getting a visa at that time was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I abandoned that want and was bitten by the travel bugs of other countries.

A few years ago, I decided it was time to go farther than the Narita airport, my layover for quite a few times.

Deciding where to go was my first “problem-solving”. Should I go with the flow and go to Tokyo and Osaka?

I decided not. The crowd overwhelmed me and I just wanted peaceful moments where I can savor everything on my own.

Hakodate was my first choice. But the airfare overwhelmed me more than the crowd of Tokyo.

Besides, even though I will take the first flight out from Manila, my arrival will be at nighttime. I don’t want to be like a lost sheep walking down the street, looking for my hotel with luggage in tow.

Akita was my second choice. I’ll have the same dilemma.

And then, I found Fukuoka. Or Fukuoka found me.

I called this trip Chillax. I just chilled and relax. A slow-paced one, where I only visited one or two places a day. No running here and there. Many times, I let the time pass doing nothing — - just sitting, observing, and watching.

One of the places I went to was Nokonoshima Island Park

It was the second day of Summer.

The summer flowers of the park welcomed me with open arms. Even the sky was so caring, with no blazing sun or drizzle to dampen my day.

It felt like Spring didn’t want to say goodbye.

Nokonoshima Island is an island in the middle of Hakata Bay with only 12 kilometers in circumference. Going around is by foot or bicycle only, for there are no cars on the island.

On the island is a park where flowers bloom all year round.

Going there

I took the train at Hakata station and got off at Meinohama station. Outside the station, I hopped into a Nishitetsu Bus’ Meinohama-Eki Kitaguchi bound to Noko Tosenba, the Meinohama Ferry Passenger Terminal. Then, a 10-minute ferry ride. And lastly, a bus to the park.

The ferry departs every 30 minutes. The bus is every hour. The park closes at 5.30 pm. Right timing is the key here.

As the season change, the flowers change

From early January to late February — the Japanese Camellia is in bloom. From January to February — Japanese Narcissus Early February to early March — the Plum Late February to mid-April — Rapeseed Blossom End of March to early April — Cherry Blossom Early March to early May — Poppy Early April to late April — Rhododendron Late April to late July — Marigold Early June to late June — Hydrangea

June to September — Dahlia Early July to late August — Plucked Cockscomb Late July to late August — Sunflower Mid-June to early July — Cockspur Coral Tree

Mid-July to late November — Bougainvillea August to early December — Scarlet Sage Early October to mid-October — Cosmos Early November to mid-November — autumn leaves Late November to late February — Oxalis December to early February —Sasanqua Camellia

The park also offers outdoor activities from barbecues to pottery making to camping and playing ground for children. And local eats and souvenirs as well.

A shop that sells some old and new varieties of goods/My Photo

Nokonoshima Island Park spells silence and solitude. A perfect place to get out of the bustling city. I can even count the people who went there at that time. Like….

When nature calls and you don’t know where to go with no people around to ask for direction — no reason to panic.