Enchanting. That is how I would describe Nokonoshima Island if I had to pick just one word for it. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
It might have been a little crazy to take four kids by ferry to Fukuoka from Busan alone, but our first day of travel and seeing Ohori Park had gone overall very well. They were up early the next day, though getting out the door always seems to take longer than it should. I’d seen a sign for a McDonald’s nearby and while some might judge this choice, I knew the kids could get lots of pancakes and food they loved for not much money, and I really wanted full bellies before we started the day’s excursion. They were happy. It got the job done! (Lesson #1 for traveling with kids: if you keep them well-fed, they’ll be 1000 times easier to deal with.)
Nokonoshima Island was at the top of most lists of things to do in Fukuoka, so after breakfast, I went to the concierge desk of our hotel and was given extensive directions for how to get there. The good news: there was a bus stop right across the street where we soon caught a bus for the thirty-minute drive to the ferry terminal (different from the Hakata International Ferry Terminal we’d arrived at the day before). The bad news: we arrived about ten minutes after the ferry left, so we had to wait almost a full hour before the next one departed. I stopped at the little convenience store in the terminal to buy snacks (see Lesson #1 above) since by this time it was getting close to lunch, and I wasn’t sure what options were available on the island.
It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, and as we crossed the water, the views alone were worth the price of the ferry ticket.
We arrived in the charming little port area, and immediately, all the passengers went over to line up for the buses. I’d read something about walking, and tend to be deterred by crowds, so we began hiking up the hill. We passed a Buddhist temple with picturesque cherry trees blooming around it,
Within ten minutes a bus arrived, and though we had to stand shoulder-to-shoulder (or more accurately, the awkward rear-end-to-face), I was glad we hadn’t tried to walk because it would have been tough with the younger members of our group. We passed quaint farms with rustic stone buildings, orange groves nestled against the hills, and of course, blossoming cherry trees everywhere. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to take any pictures because of how many people were around me. Every now and then we’d get a glimpse of the hill descending to the ocean.
The bus stopped at Nokonishima Island Flower Park. I think that there is a small area you can enter without a fee, but we went ahead and bought tickets. At first I felt like the price was a little steep (2800 yen for all of us, or roughly $26 US), but it was so beautiful once we went in, I quickly changed my mind. Flowers were EVERYWHERE!!!
There were sweeping vistas of the water and several cherry trees in bloom.
It seemed that there was so much more of the island that we didn’t see. Unfortunately, it was time to go because we knew it was quite a trek back to the city.
If you’re going:
— Buses 300, 301, and 302 travel from the Tenjin area to the ferry terminal for Nokonoshima. It was about 430 yen per adult (half that per child) to ride from our hotel at Watanabe-dori to the ferry and took roughly thirty minutes.
— The ferry takes ten minutes leaves once an hour (a quarter past) most of the day, except that from 6-8 am, and 5-7 pm, it leaves twice an hour (:15 and :45). I recommend not getting there too close to the departure time, especially if the weather is good or it’s a weekend or a holiday. On the day we went, most people were lined up twenty-five minutes before the departure, and the line was quite long by the time we boarded. I’m not sure that the people at the end of it made it on. From Nokonoshima, it leaves at the top of the hour, and at :25 during the afore-mentioned periods.
— If you're traveling with children, I recommend taking the bus once you reach the island. Not only is it quite a hike to the flower park, you will be on a narrow, twisty road that you have to share with vehicles. If you do not have children with you, there was a bike rental shop, though by the time we reached it, there weren't many options, and none were for kids. If you do choose to rent bikes, bear in mind that most of the island is quite hilly.
Sounds like a fantastic day! Japan has great slides for the kodomo. Your children are blessed with an adventurous mom!
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