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  • - Nokonoshima is a small island located

  • in Hakata Bay, the closest island to Fukuoka City.

  • Just under four square kilometers in size.

  • It has a population of just over 700 people.

  • If you love the feeling of warm ocean breeze in your hair,

  • eating fresh sea food,

  • exploring small towns

  • or spending time in a National Park,

  • Nokonoshima Island is one of the best places

  • to spend a free day in Fukuoka City.

  • Hey guys, how's it going?

  • Today it is very, very beautiful outside

  • and Tatsu and I

  • are at the Meinohama Passenger Ferry Terminal.

  • It's those words.

  • I'm not sure if it's in the right order,

  • but something like that.

  • We are just getting ready to hop on a ferry

  • over to Noko Island.

  • Noko Island, or Nokonoshima, is a very, very beautiful

  • little island.

  • It is one of the easiest islands to get to

  • from Fukuoka City if you're looking for a day trip,

  • or a way to spend a beautiful, sunny day in Fukuoka City.

  • We're gonna grab some lunch, go check out the park,

  • and I'll show you how to get there, and how to get back.

  • Hopefully, by the time you come and visit Fukuoka yourself,

  • you'll have the confidence to make this trip for yourself.

  • - Round trip tickets to Nokonoshima cost

  • 460 yen, and can be easily be purchased

  • at the ticketing machine.

  • Don't worry if you can't speak Japanese the machine

  • offers written translations in English, Chinese, and Korean.

  • Just be careful you don't misplace your return ticket

  • on the way back.

  • The ferry between the island and the main land runs

  • once every hour, but if you happen to miss it,

  • you can hire a water taxi to send you to the island

  • for only 500 yen, or 5 dollars instead.

  • - See right in front of those small islands over there.

  • We are going to head to the closest one over there.

  • By the ferry, it takes 10 minutes, I think.

  • Yeah, that's it, good bye!

  • - So, the ferry between Meinohama Port and Noko Island

  • only takes about ten minutes,

  • but on a perfect day, like today,

  • where it's really warm outside,

  • and the sun is shining, and the wind feels so nice.

  • Once you've set foot on the island, you can take a bus

  • to the Island Park, or you can explore the island on foot,

  • stopping at one of the local cafe's and restaurants

  • to get a feel for the local culture

  • because most of the shops close for business by 5 pm,

  • I recommend stopping for food first before going out

  • and doing your exploring.

  • Because many of the residents on the island work

  • in the fishing industry, seafood is abundant on Nokonoshima.

  • This restaurant, Zakko, is famous for their fresh sashimi

  • set lunches and their fresh sashimi rice bowls.

  • The menu at Zakko is hand written everyday

  • based on what's in stock, and popular items sell out

  • very quickly.

  • When you're done exploring the harbor, hop on a bus,

  • and head to Nokonoshima Island Park for some spectacular

  • scenic views of the city.

  • So, the bus to Nokonoshima Island Park costs about 230 yen,

  • one-way, and takes about 13 to 15 minutes.

  • It is a three kilometer island,

  • so, you might want to actually just pay to catch the bus,

  • but if you miss the bus, you could take a taxi as well.

  • Nokonoshima Island Park is the last stop on the bus route,

  • so, don't worry, your stop will be hard to miss.

  • The cost to enter the park is 1,200 yen.

  • It is a fairly large park, but it closes at 5:30 pm,

  • so, you have to make sure that you allow yourself

  • plenty of time to explore it.

  • Wow, this is as clear as I have ever seen it.

  • Honestly,

  • how photogenic,

  • a little island framed by two trees.

  • Everything smells amazing here.

  • Snap dragons, do you love these flowers?

  • Welcome to Nokonoshima Island Park.

  • Check the website before visiting to find which flowers

  • are in bloom in each season,

  • and don't forget to bring a camera.

  • Not only is this a popular date spot, but it's also

  • really relaxing getaway from the busy city life.

  • You're so strong!

  • As you walk down here, we've got

  • an old-fashioned Japanese snack shop.

  • Yeah, this shop specialized in old show-off 70's, 80's

  • snacks, memorabilia.

  • I remember these.

  • These were the styrofoam,

  • build-your-own airplane glider things.

  • Tatsu, did you ever use these?

  • Do you know what this is?

  • You don't?

  • I'm so old!

  • What'd you find?

  • - I think it's a very primitive, the first version of drone

  • known as a dramon's tool.

  • - How does it work?

  • - You have to.

  • - There's surprisingly quite a lot of things to see

  • inside Nokonoshima Island Park,

  • and a small assortment of shops located within it

  • do a great job at preserving

  • older traditional Japanese feel.

  • Wow!

  • So, this field, the main field, the flowers actually change

  • depending on the season, so right now it is Marigold season,

  • which means we've got beautiful rows of orange and yellow,

  • but depending on the month, it could be completely

  • different colors, it could be completely different plants,

  • completely different flowers.

  • The way this is shot it looks like an advertisement

  • for Nokonoshima salty lemon.

  • How you choose to enjoy Nokonoshima Island Park

  • is completely up to you?

  • You can rent a cottage inside the park

  • and spend the night and even rent barbecue sets

  • so you can have your own camping cook-out.

  • The park also has plenty of play facilities

  • for your children, making it a fun destination for all ages.

  • Like a new born baby deer.

  • You can do it!

  • Hi!

  • Wow!

  • Alright, so now, it is just past 5 pm, and the park

  • is closed.

  • We're waiting for the last bus.

  • The last bus leaves Nokonoshima Island Park at 5:28 pm.

  • That's the last bus, so, if you do come here, make sure

  • you don't miss that bus otherwise you're paying for a taxi.

  • Yeah, I would love to come back here around the afternoon,

  • and do a barbecue party with friends.

  • Wouldn't that be fun?

  • Like a barbecue party, and everyone could come

  • yaki their niku, and we could play in the flowers,

  • and take pictures, hang out, and just enjoy the scenery.

  • Look at the ocean, it would be perfect.

  • One thing we sort of realized is that the last bus

  • is almost always crowded, so if you want a seat,

  • make sure you line up a little bit earlier than later.

  • Although most of the island closes to the public

  • around 5 or 6 pm, the last ferry from the island

  • isn't until around 10 o'clock at night.

  • If the weather is in your favor, you can stay on the island

  • long enough to watch the sunset,

  • or even catch a beautiful night view of Fukuoka City.

  • It's up to you.

  • We're grabbing the 6 o'clock ferry

  • back to the main land.

  • How you feelin'?

  • It was warm, and it's actually a lot more exercise

  • than you would think.

  • We did a lot of walking.

  • (foreign language)

  • - Please be brave

  • - Yeah.

  • - to go outside and try to explore whatever you can find

  • in Fukuoka.

  • - Yeah, there's lots of cool stuff to do in Fukuoka.

  • Come check out Nokonoshima. Come check out Fukuoka.

  • Come be our friend, be our neighbor.

  • Alright, good-bye.

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  • Alright, I hope you're having a nice day,

  • and I'll talk to you again soon.

  • Bye!

- Nokonoshima is a small island located

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