[Company system] I took a refreshment vacation and went on a trip.

My name is Teraoka and I work in the System Solutions Department.
I usually post technical articles as an infrastructure engineer, but
this time I took a break to relax and go on a trip, so I'd like to share my impressions!

For details about the refreshment leave system, please see the article below!
[Company System] Introducing the refreshment leave system [Long-term leave]

Introduction

This time, my vacation period was from November 3rd to November 19th, including weekends and holidays.
Before I went on vacation, I received help from my colleagues in the company with handing over work and changing shifts, and
I also adjusted schedules with clients I work with.
Thanks to them, I was able to distance myself from work a little and enjoy my vacation purely.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and thank you as always!

What I did during my vacation

I went on a domestic trip, and it was pretty much a whim, but I went to four prefectures: Wakayama, Shizuoka, Fukuoka, and Saga. I
could have traveled abroad for a while, but I'd been talking to a friend about wanting to go to Fukuoka for a while, and I'd
been busy with work so I hadn't been able to travel much, so I
in Japan without really thinking about it and just went for it.
I love alcohol, and I've become obsessed with sake, and I've been wanting to go and drink local sake, so
it turned into a gourmet trip where I could enjoy delicious food and alcohol, which was great!

First, to Wakayama

Wakayama is my hometown, a prefecture famous for its mandarin oranges and pickled plums, and if you're not sure what souvenir to buy, just buy some kagero to take home.
You could say, "You can go back anytime!", but I spent my time eating and drinking with my father and two of my best friends.

My best friend and I have been partying together for over 10 years, ever since our first year of high school.
His wife and I went to kindergarten together, so we've known each other for quite some time, which makes me feel like the world is pretty small.

I heard that he recently built a house, so I went over to his new place and played Mario Party on his Switch while drinking.
It's a game released for the Nintendo 64, and although it's paid, it's available on the Switch, so it's really fun to play it again after a long time.

Before that, we went to eat okonomiyaki for dinner, but I was drunk and forgot to take pictures, unfortunately.
The next day, he accompanied me to buy souvenirs, so I'm grateful.

After that, I went to my parents' house to catch up on what's going on and we went out for drinks.
Whenever I go back to Wakayama and go out for drinks, I always drink Kuroushi

Without my parents, I wouldn't be who I am today. It's
been seven and a half years since I started working, and I've gained a sense of confidence that I've grown a little, and I'm finally
able to drink alcohol with them as equals, just like father and son, and it makes me happy.
It was a time when I was once again filled with gratitude.

Return to Osaka

After returning to Osaka, I went to eat dinner and watch a movie while preparing to head to my next destination.
I had originally planned to go to eat Ganjang Gejang, but the restaurant was closed, so I went to a nearby Korean restaurant. I
've never been to Korea, so I'd like to go someday.

I went to see
the movie Kyrie no Uta It was a bit complicated, but interesting.

Suddenly I decided to go to Shizuoka

Speaking of Shizuoka, Sawayaka 's fist-sized hamburger steak is famous.
I had that recently, but this time I was craving a wasabi bowl, so I went on a day trip.
I went to Tamaruya Honten, which is within walking distance from Shizuoka Station

They were selling wasabi nametake mushrooms as souvenirs, and I could eat them with any bowl of rice

Next up: Fukuoka

I flew from Kansai Airport to Fukuoka Airport, just under an hour away.
Changing the subject a bit, planes can be pretty boring, so I spent the whole time watching videos on YouTube in offline mode.
recently discovered the VTuber group
VSPO!, I've been watching their clips, and it really helps me pass the time.
Since I arrived before my friend and had some extra time, I took a photo from the observation deck.

I went from Fukuoka Airport to Hakata Station and had lunch before going through the ticket gate.
When you think of Fukuoka, you think of Hakata ramen, right? It was delicious.

Afterwards, we headed to Hakata Hankyu to buy some freshly baked Hakata donuts and some local sake for an evening drink

I've only talked about food, but this is a gourmet trip, so the rest of the article is the same.
Oh, but Canal City . (I forgot to take a photo.)

For dinner, if you're in Fukuoka, you definitely want to eat motsunabe (offal hotpot), so we went to Tonari Motsuko.
It's famous for its motsunabe specialty, and it was delicious when dipped in vinegar and soy sauce.
We also had mentaiko and horse sashimi. Horse sashimi is synonymous with Kumamoto, so we'd like to go back next time.

I went to a sake bar I found while walking around before going to Motsuko

Wakanami, shown in the photo, is a Japanese sake brewed in Fukuoka Prefecture, and it was easy to drink

Well, I thought I could go, so I went to Saga

Before I left for the trip, I heard, "If you're going to Fukuoka, you might as well go to Saga, so it's a good idea to eat some Yobuko squid," so I decided
to rent a car and go for a drive and eat some.
I was told that the drinkers should sleep, so I gratefully stayed in the passenger seat and watched over them.

We passed through Rainbow Pine Grove in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture and arrived safely.
The sea was all around us, and although I was wearing a hoodie, it was so cold that I thought I'd made a mistake with my attire.

Kawataro the restaurant where it originated , and ate live squid sashimi from Yobuko.
The tentacles were made into tempura after the fact, and they were very delicious.

After that, I asked him to drive me to
Hizenya , a tourist sake brewery run by Mitsutake Brewery, also in Saga.

Part of the inside of the sake brewery is open to the public like this

The atmosphere of the Showa era is recreated

You can sample the Mitsutake brand of sake,
and of course you can also purchase it as a souvenir, so we recommend it.

After enjoying some drinks, we returned to Fukuoka for dinner. Speaking of Fukuoka, it's mentaiko.
The original Hakata mentaiko rice bowl and mentaiko tsukemen were also delicious.

I wanted to eat dinner before going to the food stalls, but unfortunately the weather was bad and it started to rain heavily, so
I just took some photos of the scenery...

I also went to the Christmas market in front of Hakata Station, as I really wanted to drink some hot wine

I also wanted to go to a nearby authentic bar, but the rain was so bad I gave up and will go back next time.
I relaxed at the hotel and prepared to go home the next morning.
I went to Fukuoka LaLaport and bought some souvenirs, and found some strawberry candy, Amaou.

Finally, we had Hakata ramen to end the trip.
The plane was delayed due to the bad weather the day before, but I was just tired of waiting, so I'll skip the details;;
I was glad to be able to return home safely on the same day.

summary

After returning from my trip, I went straight to a bar near Namba, so overall it was a vacation filled with eating and drinking. I
gained weight, but it was fun, so it all worked out.
It reminded me once again that it's just as important to get plenty of rest as it is to work. That's all.