Early morning run for Andy, who after a 3 week chest cold, was keen to see Fukuoka and get a 10k run under his belt.

Our hotel stay includes a very healthy breakfast offer, which proved as good as it looks and set us up for the day.

Our original plan was to get a bus to one of the cities beaches and then walk around a nearby park, however heavy rain got in the way and we decided instead to have a late morning ‘elevenses’ and a bit of comfort food at Dean & Deluca.

Once the rain eased off we eventually found our stride and headed to Gokushomachi district to look around Myoraku and Joten-ji temples.

Along the way we stopped at Hakata Riverain, a trendy shopping complex along the Nakasu riverside area.

We eventually found Saiko-ji temple, part of a temple complex that sits adjacent to Mikisa River in the east of the city.

The gardens and topiary were incredible and everything has its place and looks so refined.

There were more temples including Ten-Yo-An and Joten-ji which were both well preserved and surrounded by a beautiful park area.

Due to the indifferent weather and the constant threat of rain, the park was near deserted and we were able to take in the temples at will.

After visiting the half a dozen temples in the complex we walked on to Kushida shrine, one of Fukuokas most important. It’s known for its connection to the famous Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival.

The shrine included an array of stunning buildings and was busy with worshippers and a few tourists who had braved the elements.

Whilst we have so many temples since our time in Asia, it’s still incredible how varied each are and the symbolism that exists with each religion having different deities and imaginary.

The shrine proved to be very elegant and like the others we have seen in Japan incredibly well maintained and neat & tidy.

We then decided to take a 3 mile walk across the city to check out the man-made beach and harbour front.

As we ebbed away to the beach, we came across a number of areas that had been regenerated and had developed a vibrant new life, notably the old factory below which was now a jazz club.

Once we made it to the beach, the sun came out and we were able to see across the bay to a series of man-made and natural islands.

After a pleasant time down at the beach, we made our way to Ohori Park where we came across stunning views across the city along with a beautiful parkland area.

Once in the park we paid a visit to a traditional Japanese garden with the most beautiful topiary we have ever seen.

We paid 500 yen to look around these exquisite gardens and take in the nature in a typically controled Japanese form.

Our final stop of the day was at the Fukuoka Castle ruins. Here we climbed up for panoramic views of the city and the chance to explore the once great castle.

After a full day out and about in Fukuoka, tonight we wanted to stay local and taste the famous Fukuoka Ramen. Thankfully we didn’t have to walk far, with the Ramen-Shubo just 250 yards away.

Purchasing our dinner was a little different, with payment and the menu options accessed via a vending machine.

Once the order was made it was only a few minutes before the beer and ramen landed on our table.

The ramen cost just £4 and proved to be very filling and tasty. Truth be told it was better than we’d expected and very filling.

So that’s our last day in Fukuoka, tomorrow we fly back up to Osaka to join up with an organised tour of Japan with G Adventures for the next 9 days.