I was sitting on the KAL flight shortly after leaving Kim-hae airport feeling pretty happy about my first visa renewal when I was suddenly struck with enormous doubts about the trip I was taking.  Although I had never heard anyone mention it, I began to wonder if as a United States citizen I needed some kind of entry document to enter Japan.  My Korean visa had expired, so I did not have permission to enter Korea again.  What would I do if I couldn’t enter Japan?  Did I have enough money to live on airport food until I could figure a way back into Korea or enter some third country?  What if there was a problem getting the visa?  Did I have enough money to stay the extra day or two in Japan?  What if I forgot some vital document, the one "blue" form hardly seemed like enough, how would I get the others?  What exactly did I need?  Why hadn’t I checked with Korean Immigration and the US Consulate before I left?

Hey kids, here’s the scoop, the straight dope on the Fukuoka visa run.  US and Canadian citizens can enter Japan for short periods of time.  The exact amount I don’t know, but it’s long enough to get your visa.  You don’t even need to tell the customs officers an address as long as you say that you’re here to get your Korean visa.  They know they’ve seen a lot of us there.

Technically, all you need is the "blue" form given to you by your sponsor, your passport, and two passport photos.  There’s a photo booth at the Consulate that provides acceptable if it’s working.  I took both of my diplomas and my copy of my contract with my sponsor in the hopes that I could solve any problem that might arise there.  None did.  US citizens automatically receive a multiple entry visa when stamped at the Fukuoka Korean Consulate.  

Change about 200,000 – 300,000 won into yen before leaving Korea.  You’ll have a hard time finding a place to change your money there.  If you submit your paper work at the Consulate before 3:00 p.m., they will have it ready by 10:00 am the next morning.  Bring enough money for extra nights just incase of emergencies. 

The quickest and easiest way to get there is by plane.  KAL has a daily round trip flight leaving Pusan at about 11:00 am and arriving in Fukuoka at 12:00.  The return flight leaves about 2:00pm and arrives back at Pusan at 3:00 p.m.  It will cost you about 170,000 won.  If you leave on a Friday, it will cost you 140,000, but you’ll have to stay until Monday.  It takes a day to get your visa processed, if you don’t have any problems.

The Fukuoka subway rolls right out of the airport and drops you an easy ten-minute walk from the Korean Consulate.  You can find a handy-dandy tourist map that will meet most of your needs right there at the information booth.  The subway is fairly easy to use.  The most difficult part is figuring out how much to pay.  The attendants are very friendly and seem to realize the difficulty faced by us round eyes.  Just ask them.  If you opt for a cab, understand that most of the cabbies don’t speak a lot of English.  The subway is 250 yen, and the cab is about 3,000 yen (approximately 30,000 won) but it includes a freeway toll.  

Capsule hotels are the cheapest ways to go.  Unfortunately, they cater almost exclusively to men.  You get a small coffin-sized bedroom-thing with a telephone and color television that even has several porno channels.  Each hotel has a sauna, hot tub, and showering facilities upstairs as well as a masseuse.  The "room" is closed by a woven mat-curtain.

The Green Hotel is said to be the cheapest hotel if you don’t speak or read Japanese.  Because of the English signs on the lampposts that lead the way, it’s fairly easy to find.  The letters on the sign are green.  A single room is about 6,000 yen and a double is 9,700 yen per night.  The rooms have a color television, cable, pay movies, and a desk.  The desk and chairs are so low as to render them useless – Mike’s knees couldn’t fit into the kneehole!  The bathrooms are clean and plastic and small enough that you’ll stoop if youyore over 5’10".

You’ll want to go shopping at Canal City while youwhre in Fukuoka, but bring yourere credit cards if yourere serious about shopping.  Canal City is within walking distance from the Green Hotel for most of us, and is on the tourist maps.  Itres huge.  I would say that you cans t miss it, but I want you to be able to find it.  It has a multiplex movie theater –  1,800 –0 2,000 yen per movie with 1,000 yen discount days –0 an arcade –r at least 100 yen per game –e restaurants, coffee shops, fast food, you name, it has it.  Best of all, most of the major brand names have stores here.  Browsing at J. Crew, Eddie Bauer, or the Warner Bros. Store is just like being back in North America.  For kinky Japanese Ultraman and Totoro tie-ins, and vintage American action figures and movie posters go to the basement toy store.  The cameras on the third floor are reasonably priced, but the books are not.

Like everything else, the food is expensive.  Donuts are 110 yen as are each of the bizarre teas in the vending machines that line the streets.  They are worth trying, even at that price, particularly the milk teas.  A loaf of bread will fill you up for about 300 yen, and it bs not as sweet as the Korean variety.  Small pochangmacha-like stands line the walking path that leads across the s islandis in front of Canal City, but they don it open until after 6:00 p.m.  You can find noodles and an assortment of veggies and meat bits they  ll throw on the hibachi for you.  The ra-myon is about 400 yen a bowl.  A set meal at Wendy is is 600 yen.

If Korea is the Asian Mexico, Japan must be the Asian Switzerland.  It is neat, tidy, organized, and quiet.  I almost had a panic attack walking back to the Consulate when I looked up and realized I was the only person for three blocks!  I figured some disaster was about to occur and the Japanese had all headed in doors.  People told me there was vomit to be found some place on the streets, but I never saw any.  So, go to Japan.  Send a post card to mom, and have some fun.  But be prepared, ithas more expensive than you can imagine.