Following Hiroshima, this would be my last stop in Japan, and happened to serve as more of a pit stop than a last “hoorah.” I arrived late in the evening, and the most exciting part of my night, post check-in, was my visit to the Japanese laundromat.
An excerpt from my phone notes during my first coin-laundry experience in Japan…
“I just tried to do laundry at a coin laundry spot in Fukuoka, Japan. Put the dirty clothes in, added an fairly large sum of money (800 yen, close to $8 USD) and realized I didn’t put any soap in the machine…so here’s to hoping the efficiency I’ve witnessed thus far in Japan pulls through yet again and the machine automatically adds detergent. If not, I guess I’ll be a little stinky the next few days 😳“
*crosses the street in the rain to the nearest 7-11*
“Turns out this 7-11 doesn’t have a table…so I’m sitting on some dirty steps outside, mooching off the wifi, while I wait for the laundry to wash. Drinking a bubble tea (7-11 really does have everything).”
*Alarm rings. Run-walks back across the street to inspect the laundry situation*
“So according to the smell test, there was no laundry soap added and it’s safe to say I’m not stoked to wear my socks again…but on the bright side the machine both washed AND dried my load in just 55 minutes, which explains the price. I can live with it until I get back to Southeast Asia. And it really smells cleanish, or maybe my standards for sanitation and fragrance have dipped a smidge. If I don’t make any friends at my next hostel…you’ll know why.”
I left Fukuoka the next morning, traveling by ferry to Busan, South Korea. I got a little lost on the way to the ferry; it was a nauseating journey (the ferry was almost cancelled because winds were inspiring massive swells), but after several hours we ported in to beautiful, colorful Busan. Until next time, Japan!
Bridge Over Distance 