A Fukuokan's Notes from Sapporo

A couple of weeks ago, I went back to Fukuoka for the first time in six months. 

It was just hot, hot, hot. So hot that I wondered how I had survived such summers here for the past two decades. 

During our trip to Fukuoka, we stayed at a hotel in the very heart of the city, and the view from the room was great. 

In fact, I have witnessed the history of this building since the early 1970s when it was known as the Tokyu Hotel. 

You can still see traces of its heyday, such as the former underground arcade that once housed high-end shops and restaurants (the area is now off-limits). This, I guess, is the remains of the staircase leading to the basement.

Beyond that, a few other reminders of 1970s glamour remain untouched throughout the property. 

However, frustratingly, the current management doesn't seem to respect this legacy. Instead, they appear to be trying hard to rebrand it as a low-budget hotel targeting international tourists who view Japan as a cheap destination, rather than domestic travelers who wish to stay at a decent hotel at a decent price, a decision that left me feeling sad and deeply discouraged. ...Not to mention the 2,000-yen breakfast buffet full of apparently pre-packaged food, where it seemed no actual cooking took place in the kitchen. 

If I were running the hotel, I would have kept the renovation to a minimum, and invited surviving local brands, such as Sailer, Chidoriya, or Fukushin-ro to set up their branches. I would have also restored the Taiyo Gekijo cinema in the basement. I believe this is far from a wild dream. As the current operator is one of the most powerful companies in Fukuoka, every plan above should be feasible.