I had stayed in Nara, Japan for 1,5 months for Nara City Art Project Kotohogu Nara 2020, helping Japanese Artist named KITAZAWA Jun for his projects there. Just before my last week in Tokyo before my departure back to Indonesia, I planned a short visit to Fukuoka, where I lived for about 3 months as an exchange student in Kyushu University couple years ago. I really wanted to meet my friends there, also my Professor, and look around the city. I didn't even realize that it had been 5 years since that day.
I took a night bus from Kyoto just because I wanted to go with the project's members who went back to Tokyo by Shinkansen from Kyoto Station. So, I booked the ticket online and got on from Kyoto Station. Thought it was a little bit difficult to find the bus platform from the station because of so little signs to follow.
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| Somewhere at 7 am |
It was about 8 hours ride to arrive at the second bus stop in Hakata Canal City. The weather was really bad. I expected that it would be warmer than in Nara, but the temperature was dropped until 5 degrees Celcius and it was so much windy than in any Kansai region. Fukuoka is located near the sea, so it must be because of it. Even though it was windy surprisingly, the sky was clear and sunny. The afternoon came the warmer it was. But still, I needed to wrap myself in my thick jacket.
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| Basking in the late afternoon sun |
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| Dormitories |
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| Pantry areas |
I stayed at
Common de Hostel. It was a small and cute dormitory for a short stay. I left my bags and bring all the necessary stuff with me since I couldn't check in until after 2 pm. So, I planned to visit my old Hakozaki Campus and after that just went around Ohori Park or Fukuoka Castle and later back to the hostel to check-in.
So, since three years ago I heard from my friends' update and saw my Sensei posts on Facebook that Hakozaki Campus would be relocated to Ito Campus. The Kyushu University wanted to centralize its campus in the suburban area of Fukuoka in the city of Itoshima. It was pretty much far from the central city of Tenjin by local train and continued by bus. I had gone there by my self for Kyudaisai, the university autumn festival, and with my tutor, Yamatai-san, for my scholarship awarding ceremony. So, as a student, I felt that the relocation would change the student climate in the new campus. Can you imagine the nearest
combini was 15 minutes by car?! And in Hakozaki Campus, we walked for about 10 minutes to our favourite Sevel, and 5 minutes further to go to Rumieru, a kind of shopping arcade.
I felt so emotional when I rode the train to go to Hakozaki Campus. I barely remember the parking space that I always saw when walked out of the station, because it was completely gone! That short-cut that Mori-kun showed me when we would go to Sensei's office was demolished and every side of the campus area was covered by constructions panels. I didn't remember this campus will be this way. So, it was indeed true, that the campus was relocated and the old buildings demolished for I didn't know development.
I tried to walk alongside the south-west gate to the north-west gate, just to see that no buildings remain. No students, only constructions vehicle that went by from the construction gate entrance. I turned to the corner and walked to the main street, trying to find a familiar building but only that Sevel and Rumieru remain. I started to remember the studio projects I did with other laboratory members about the renovation of Hakozaki Campus and found out that the east part of the campus was kept to become a kind of museum in the future. During my conversation with my old friends and Sensei, the night later, turned out that the Hakozaki Campus complex would be turned into apartments and shopping. How disappointing it turned out to be!
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| Drawing in one side of the construction panels in the east gate |
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| I used to sit here, and eating my lunch alone or drinking a caned black coffee, bathing in the winter sun while watching people passed by from the concrete building (which now is demolished) in front of me |
The sulking and gloomy feeling kept me accompanied until I reached Ohori Park. It was a sunny day in the afternoon and the weather was mild. Seeing Sakura trees along the way, I began to imagine, what does it look like to walk along the fallen Sakura in this place. Just to think about it made my heart warm and promised to myself that I needed to see it by myself I didn't know when.
I kept walking to the Fukuoka Castle ruins and found out a Mume Flower Garden. And it was all fully blossomed. A family took a picture of their younger daughter with the Mume blossoms in the background. Youngster sat and talked to each other while some group of elders did a drawing club. I peeked a glimpse of them, draw the blossoms. It was a beautiful scene until I hike to the ruin, reaching the top of the area and enjoying the city landscape for a moment. What a journey I did back at the end of 2019 until I came back here after 5 years.
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| Ruins of Fukuoka Castle |
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| Fukuoka city in the faraway horizon |
On the way back to the hostel and passing though Ohori Park, I began to think about the dinner I would have with the studio members and Sensei. I didn't ask Sanae-chan who would actually come. But, finally meeting with them after all this time made me smile.
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| What are you looking at through those windows? |
On my flight to Tokyo, I contemplated. I didn't regret spending on my saving to go to Fukuoka. I thought I really need it when I acknowledge that I would go to Japan again last year. I hope that someday we will meet again, my friends!
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