Costa Serena: OHA - FUK - OHA03A22

      Keelung (sometimes called Jilong) is a major port city in the north-eastern part of Taiwan. It borders Taipei County and forms the Taipei-Keelung metropolitan area together with the City and County of Taipei.
Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and its important maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport (after Kaohsiung). Keelung is currently administered as a provincial city of Taiwan Province in the Republic of China. It has been suggested that the name Keelung was derived from the local mountain whose shape resembles a rooster cage. However, it is more probable that the name was derived from the first inhabitants of the region, like the names of many other Taiwanese cities. Indeed, the area's earliest inhabitants were the Ketagalan people, and Ke-lâng was thus probably derived from Ketagalan.
The Ketagalan were a Taiwanese aboriginal tribe, whose first contact with the west was through the Spanish. From 1642 to 1668 Keelung came under Dutch control. The Dutch East India Company attacked the Spanish and, following a brief successful siege, conquered their Fort San Salvador at Santissima Trinidad. They reduced the size of the town and renamed it Fort Noort-Holland. The Dutch possessed three other fortifications in Keelung which included a small school with a Christian preacher. When the Ming Dynasty loyalist Koxinga (Cheng Ch'en-Kung) successfully attacked the Dutch in southern Taiwan, the troops stationed at the Keelung forts fled to a trading post in Japan.
However, they returned in 1663 and reoccupied and defended their former forts. Unfortunately, trade with China through Keelung did not achieve the hoped-for success, and in 1668 the Dutch left voluntarily. In 1863 the Qing Empire reopened Keelung as an international trading port and it played an important role in the economy of the region until 1885. However, from October 1884, following the outbreak of the Sino-French War, the town was occupied by the French under the command of Admiral Amédée Courbet. Keelung grew rapidly after Taiwan's passage to the Japanese in 1895 under the Treaty of Shimonoseki. It obtained the status of town in Keelung District in 1920 and was upgraded to a city of Taipei Prefecture in 1924.

     Fukuoka is the capital of the prefecture of Fukuoka and is located on the northern coast of the island Kyushu in Japan. It is also the most populous city on the island of Kyushu (2.5 million people according to the 2005 census, including the neighbouring cities of Saga and Kasuga as part of the greater metropolitan area), followed by Kitakyushu.
The city's metropolitan area is the largest to the west of Osaka. Fukuoka is also the birthplace of several successful singers who have found fame in Japan and many other Asian nations. In recent years the city has been expanding along the coast and large areas of the city have been built on reclaimed land, such as the artificial island in the district of Higashi appropriately called Island City. Located 1,100 km from Tokyo, 540 km from Seoul, 870 km from Shanghai and 1,300 km form Taipei, Fukuoka is the most important city for cultural and economic exchange with the rest of Asia. Like most prefectures, Fukuoka has a moderate climate with an average temperature of 16.3°C and average humidity of 70%, 1,811 hours of sunlight and 205 cm precipitation. Roughly 40% of the year is cloudy. Winters are rainy with infrequent snowfall and temperatures rarely drop below 0°C. Spring is mild and sunnier, with cherry blossom appearing in late March or early April. The rainy season (tsuyu) lasts for approximately six weeks through June and July, when humidity is very high and temperatures hover between 25 and 30°C. Summers are hot and humid with temperatures reaching 37°C. Autumn, often considered Fukuoka's best season, is mild and dry, although the typhoon season runs between August and September. Overall in Spring and Autumn the rain is less intense. In May 2007, the city's estimated population was 1,442,836 with a population density of 7,184.07 per km². Its total area is 340.60 km².
With an average age of 38.6 years, Fukuoka is the second youngest city in Japan. The 4.4% growth rate is also the second fastest in the country (based on data from the 2000 census). Although the city of Fukuoka offers all kinds of entertainment, a rich history and excellent local cuisine, it is off the beaten tourist track for Europeans. Nonetheless, it is a leading destination for Japanese visitors and tourists from neighbouring Asian countries. At 234 metres, the FukuokaTower is the tallest tower in Kyushu, the tallest costal tower in Japan and the 13th-tallest structure in the country. Situated in the district of Sawara, it was built in 1989 for the Asian Pacific Expo (Yokatopia). It offers the chance to admire the city's splendid panorama 123 metres from the ground. Sky Dream Fukuoka, situated in the Sawara district, is the largest Ferris wheel in Japan and the fifth-largest in the world, standing 120 metres above the ground. Ohori Park offers plenty of opportunities for leisure and relaxation. Opened in 1929, it features a large artificial lake modelled on Lake Xi Hi in China.
The Uminonakamichi Seaside Park in the Higashi district was an American military base until 1972. Today its 200 hectares make it the largest recreational area in Fukuoka. There is an amusement park with rollercoasters and a Ferris wheel, as well as a small petting zoo, a huge park with exhibition areas, sandy beaches, hotels and a large aquarium with dolphin shows. The Tower of the Port of Hakata, 103 metres tall, offers a panoramic view over Hakata Bay's shopping complex, Bayside Place. Besides being a port with connections to many destinations, it is also home to numerous shops and restaurants, as well as a large aquarium. The Saibu Gas Centre is unusual in that it is a museum about gas. Here you can spend some time learning some interesting facts about the science of gas with the museum's various interactive displays. Fukuoka Castle offers an interesting cultural experience.
All that remains of the castle in Ohori Park are several towers, rebuilt around 1950 - 1960, a period in which many damaged castles were renovated. It was in fact destroyed during the Meiji Restoration. The Genko Historical Museum, a museum dedicated to the Mongolian invasions in Higashi Park, features 13th century Mongolian and Japanese arms and armour, as well as paintings of historical subjects. Fukuoka is known throughout Japan first and foremost for its mentaiko: this dish comes from Korean cuisine and consists of cod roe marinated in salt and chilli pepper. Another Fukuoka speciality is tonkotsu ramen, noodles in broth made from pork bones that have been boiled for hours. The port and the airport are very important. Fukuoka is surpassed only by Tokyo and Osaka for international trade. Between 2000 and 2004 the value of exports for the port of Hakata has actually more than doubled. 50% of exports are rubber goods, bearing in mind that nearby Kurume is home to Bridgestone.