Lost in Fukuoka

Lost in Fukuoka

we’re going to Japan baby Everyone walking so fast Um [Music] all right Well it’s got water in a melon pond Found the observation deck Got me observing and Nice [Music] Another ice cream vending machine I found it Why does it look Why does it look kind of nice let’s get the up Grabbing the room key Oh god Last room Dead ass Dead ass The last room Throw everything on the bed already Down in the corner We’re not unpacking It’s currently All right It’s currently and we have to get going I just realized I left my water bottle in the room So I’m going to take advantage of this ice mission It’s so quiet Flight’s in like an hour and I lucky don’t know where to go So I should probably be in more of a rush I see you Shut up Should I run let’s get in there No Wi-Fi but my Spotify works for some reason So it’s been amazing It’s like 40 minutes left I just want to land already We’re going to open that fast Finally made it to the real world Not yet [Music] I totally wanted the corn tea matcha Look at these lily pads [Music] All right I’m at bus station for my next location I want to go to my first convenience store that’s not in an airport or a subway That looks gas Now we have to get the fami sauce baby All right we made it to our stop Fukar looks cool Perfect [Music] Okay I won’t lie I did not know people could not swim I was so excited to swim Oh well Okay I’ve been wandering for a while now It’s hot So probably enter the nearest building with air conditioning For reference you can see the tower That’s where we started That is quite far All right we finally made it back to test pawn point Q for McDonald’s is crazy I need to use the bathroom What is this i got some essentials from the drugstore and might hit up that bakery after Okay so I was headed to Nishi Park and I completely missed my stop and the bus entered the freeway taking me all the way to almost Hakata which is like far as from Ishi Park So we’re going to explore this area cuz why not i mean I really didn’t have a plan anyways So we’re going to go in the family part cuz I got to go in every corner I see Had to get like the fourth ice cream of the day Um I think all the way down this road is by the Canal City Hakatamal is coffee All right I need some Hakata ramen Is this it it’s kind of weird I don’t like the color scheme It’s Uggs Oh this is This looks so cute here [Music] Okay this is cool and all but like the color scheme of this place is crazy Let’s go shopping We are looking for the Minecraft pop-up store Crazy We got some nice looking restaurants and an arcade up here but no Minecraft pop-up store Oh my god that Minecraft store sucked I think we’re going to go to the ramen place upstairs Okay we’ll play this one This is where the cool kids are at I thought it was just one shop It’s like a whole ramen district I don’t know how I’m going to differentiate which is the best This is the one we decided on It’s from Ramen and Scam It looks good as heck Doesn’t look as good on camera but it looks good in person Well that was busting Heat [Music] Heat [Music] Oh [Music] Well that was fun dude They have a curvy cafe This is dope Oh my gosh This street goes on forever All right we got out of that little shopping alley and now we got to get back on the 306 I guess the subway was faster so backtracked We got the furthest route from the elevator again That’s lit I’m going to chill for a little now All right Um I do not need to be wearing my backpack but I’ve been wearing it for so long I feel naked without it So yeah Let’s go Bye room All right we’re exiting the park making way to Guatu Matsumoto It’s like a mile that way [Music] All right I didn’t want to film in there cuz I was like literally the last person in there But dang that was busting Yeah I guess we’re going to stroll around Tenin for a little There’s a lot of koke There’s a lot of food And there’s a lot of arcades I’m going to go in the gigo [Music] Almost got it It’s way too crowded man [Applause] That ice cream was good as hell Oh McDonald’s Oh don’t donkey I think the subway is closed at like midnight It’s almost 11:00 so might have to walk home Bro I want this so bad I want this so bad I’m at like six or seven ice skins for the day though So made it just in time for the last bus We’re going to get home Okay it’s like 12:10 I made it back to the Airbnb I made it back to the hotel Finally Stopped at the 7-Eleven on the on the way back It was right outside It’s It’s a good one It’s 6:30 right now I can’t sleep I’ve been up since like 5:00 scrolling on TikTok So I’m just going to get out of bed and get ready and go to the world Game plan for the day is to just walk gamelessly catch a random bus or subway and explore Yeah Stop at Lawson [Music] All right So I rode the airport line to its very last stop and it led me here So I’m going to check it out See if there’s anything I can do [Applause] [Music] What is that construction houses are like look at that It’s literally Saburai lives there This huge thing is a driving range So I just might have to go hit some balls First try Oh these guys got all the coolest in the world Okay so it was 2,000 yen for an hour and I picked three clubs But yeah I’m going to hit some shots and then I’m going to buy all the coolish they have in that shop cuz it was 100 yen each and they’re I don’t even want to hit Come on Oh my god dude That is crazy What the 4 footer all right I just made an 11 on the first hole at Oakmont Let’s see if we can get birdie on the second hole Okay so apparently Odo Park is about a/4 mile that way but I’m persspiring so bad that I’m not in the mood to go to a park and I have to walk about 20 plus minutes back to I think it’s Manohama station So we’re just heading back there cuz I need AC Oh my god I forgot to get the coolish at the golf place No I need to find matcha kulish and mango koolish now Okay I low key wanted to try that loaded burger I need chapstick My lips are absolutely fried I ended up just coming to Tenin Central Park Gonna eat my donuts now I got the teriyak chicken one and apple pie All right Unfortunately I just had to absolutely desecrate the toilets in the maru Um but now we’re going to go walk around Yeah look at all those doggies So cute But we’re going to go check out my Zudu Park and the Fukuoka Castle remains or ruins So yeah [Applause] I took like a 45minut nap Let’s go Are you guys ready we’re back Let’s get that pork chop Look at this egg cheeseburger It looks super appealing Heat [Music] Heat [Music] [Music] Wow All right All right we got like 15 minutes to the Gundam water show So [Music] Heat [Music] Heat [Music] Heat Heat [Music] [Applause] All right Well I just got done watching the Gundam Scramble Water Show It was [Music] It’s like 9:00 Buzzed as hell I’m not going to lie [Music] All right we’re done with the giggle Let’s go to the round one I am drunk [Music] I’m not going to lie I don’t know what’s going on Yo Gert Oh my gosh I got to pee So hopefully I find a bathroom I’m so drunk I don’t mind if I you I’m drunk [Music] I just got ice [Music] It’s 1:45 a.m We’re on route to home We have to get up at like 9 for our We have an 11:50 flight So yeah I want to stop at Doniote cuz I want to get at least some of Fukuoka So yeah All right I got the omiyag and I couldn’t pass up the frozen thong two times so I got it Bye Fuka We’re gonna go check out the restaurant All right we’re going to go in here Eat the ducky Board is in like 5 minutes Yo chat I have no seatmates again Come here Heat Heat

Son, Dad went to Fukuoka alone for 48 hours and it was pretty cool.

Reflection: Over the course of my quick two-day stay in Fukuoka, Kyushu Island’s largest and most populous city, I was able to relish the VERY Japanese-styled urban culture and also appreciate nature in solitude. I don’t think I had more than 3 interactions in English the entire trip, leaving me isolated, yet I enjoyed that. The moment I left this city, I knew at some point I’d have to come back. A lot of moments were spent off camera, soaking in the environment, and oddly enough, “people-watching” (in a non-obsessive way). The culture in this city feels noticeably different from places like Tokyo, Seoul, or Honolulu—those big-name cities that sometimes feel almost too Westernized. One example I can share is the nightlife. Not proud to say, but one night I was pretty off the rails. Of course, I managed to keep it respectful, but I wasn’t all myself that night. I was sitting on a bench on the street right beside some of the more popular nightclubs and bars Fukuoka has to offer. And within the span of 20 minutes of recuperating and people-watching, I was approached by not 1, not 2, not 3, but 5 different groups of people asking me if I’m okay. I lyingly would reply “daijoubu,” and they would hype me up and/or give me a water bottle. Even in the most crooked of places this city offered, I felt incredibly safe and welcomed. A specific place that will remain in my thoughts forever is Ohori Park. Conveniently a 5-minute walk from my hotel, it’s calm and respectful atmosphere left a lasting impression on me. Feeling the wind brush through my hair as I stared out over the lake, through one side of my eye watching people run, bike, walk, and chat, and through the other, a plethora of greenery maintained as well as it can be. The ambience of this park, from sunlight to sunset, is truly unmatched—and I’m grateful to have experienced it.

Traveling is undeniably a blessing, and I’m super grateful for the opportunities I’ve had—past, present, and hopefully future. Lately, traveling has sparked a wave of self-reflection, prompting a chain of thoughts like “Who am I?” and “What was I made for?” Really, I don’t say it enough, but I am genuinely thankful for the situation I’ve been given. Still, I get the feeling that I’m meant for something more. At 20 years old, I feel more lost than I ever have before. Feeling like I have all the time in the world while feeling like I literally have no time. It’s a strange and conflicting feeling oh-so similar to the everyday battles I face as a painfully indecisive person. As I embark on more quests, I hope I am able to actualize the idea of “Abel Akiu.” While I don’t inherently care about my so-called “legacy,” I do want the memories surrounding my name to be associated with 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

P.S. Sorry for the subtle ending. I only realized I didn’t finish it after the 2-hour-long upload.
Also: 24:16-24:29 bruh bruh bruh bruh