For the ninth year running, the lighthouse in Hakata Port has turned into Santa! Every year the staff at Fukuoka Coast Guard Office dress up the red lighthouse as jolly old St. Nick – with handcrafted eyes and a beard. The tradition began in 2005 to cheer up the victims of the Fukuoka earthquake. The lighthouse is 19m tall, with a ‘’KEEP WATCH’’ sign next to it. It will stay decorated for Christmas until Dec. 26 (Thu.) so if you’re taking the hydrofoil to Busan, Korea, look out the west side of the ship! Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 12/4, http://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/07kanku/fukuoka/
