Sorry for the lack of updates recently, but I’ve been rather under the gun of a rather large deadline. A deadline that I already missed rather egregiously. =_=

However, in between the writing and other tasks, I needed to make another exciting visa run to Fukuoka. Now, I’ve been making visa runs to Fukuoka since 1998, so I know the routine fairly well at this point (although this was my first since around 2005 or so). I quite like the city and always appreciate a chance to visit. This last trip, it was sunny and 34 degrees or so, while Seoul was getting soaked in a miserable, sticky rainstorm.

Fukuoka’s Naka River on a hot, hot day:

Plus, during my trip it was the lead up to the Yamakasa summer festival, so the city was full of those one-ton floats like this one:

Groups of men would load those floats onto their shoulders and run them around Fukuoka’s downtown, while people threw water on them. Very good fun (although incredibly hot, tiring work on a day like that).

Some old Japanese building porn (for Robert Koehler):

Fukuoka has some great ramen, too. Here’s a big building dedicated to ramen.

Inside, you are served in this tiny little stalls:

And here’s the ramen:

Meanwhile, when I got back to Seoul (last Friday), Seoul Station was full of budding photographers, all taking pictures of the sky. I’m sure my phone’s camera does not compare, but…:

Oh, some big news coming to the blog very soon (book news!), followed by some big changes to the blog itself.