Hakata, Japan, June 6

As this is our first port in Japan, everyone had to go through face-to-face immigration. I was scheduled for a tour, so was told to go straight to the port. I stood in line for 90 minutes. This was well past the scheduled departure for the tour. I wasn't alone. Many people from my tour group were in the same mess.

I have traveled the world and this was the most unorganized mess ever. Not a great first impression of Japan. I thought they were supposed to be masters of efficiency. Oh well. When I finally got to the agent, it took less than a minute for picture, fingerprints, and passport stamp. I still have no idea what the issue was.

It was a short walk to the tour bus. I was happy to see only about 30 people on the tour. I wasn't filled with anxiety as I am when overcrowded. I had a seat by the window and was looking forward to the tour; "Hakata, Culture and Beauty". Our tour guide turned out to be an 80-year-old lady. She spoke English fairly well. She asked each person where they were from. UK, Aussies, Germans, Koreans, Saudis, and me...the American.

On the drive to the Japanese gardens, the tour guide started talking about local politics. Mentioned (about 10 times) Trump was angry because Japanese people don't buy American-made cars. I thought it was not why I paid for a tour; tell me about Hakata, please.

We made it to the Ohori Park Japanese Garden. Once we got our tickets arranged we went through the gates to find a couple was just married and doing their photo shoot in the gardens. They invited us to take pictures of them in their formal clothes. We then were led through the gardens by our tour guide. I was a little irritated that we didn't get to wander on our own. It was difficult to take good pictures when everyone is trying to take the same pictures.

The gardens are stunning. So much care has gone into the aesthetics and maintenance. The water features; waterfalls, lakes, and streams, are filled with Koi and Crane birds are fed so they won't eat the fish.

There was also a dry Zen Garden- the size of half a football field. Meticulously raked in a beautiful flowing design around rocks.

After 2 hours there, we reboarded the bus for downtown. We are going to a Shinto Shrine. As we drove through the downtown area, the tour guide moved her discussion to dementia and cancer. She explained to us that she experienced both, but had a natural remedy and fixed it. Apparently, if you mix carrots, blueberries, and seaweed into a smoothie, you can cure cancer. Who knew?

We went to the shrine and she spent 30 minutes telling us about the traditions of clapping your hands to get the God's attention. Eventually, we were permitted free time to explore and enjoy the area. It really was interesting.

Tomorrow we go to Beppu, famous for hot springs and spas. My legs could use a good soak after all this walking. So far, the weather has been perfect. It's the rainy season, and we haven't had a drop yet!