Fukuoka, where do I begin? Before I moved here, I had never heard of it, and the island of Kyushu was some magical place, untouched by western tourism that was just too far to reach on a two-week holiday. In the summer of 2019 I got the opportunity to move down from Tokyo and work on a new project. I was so excited to finally discover the south! Every first time Japan goer knows the 3 big boys: Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Anyone on a Japanese guided tour may even get as far as Hiroshima, but only the dedicated and the mad get down to Fukuoka. Boasting as Japans 8th largest city, Fukuoka is the hub of the South. It has everything you expect from a large city for entertainment, easy transportation in and out of the city, a beautiful coastline and wonderful views of mountains and rural life that you can’t find anywhere else. Fukuoka is mild in the winter, and hot, humid and wet in the summer. In general it’s more airy in the summer than Tokyo or Kyoto because of its proximity to a good sea breeze. The autumn is later, with the changing of the leaves, happening in late November, early December and you begin to feel the warmth of spring in early March. To put it in perspective, I was wearing sandals in the first week of November, but thermals in the last week! I am going to give you recommendations of various places I’ve visited, with my honest and personal opinion on them. These are the places I would take visiting friends or go myself. I’ve divided the into four categories;
Head a little west and you’ll come to an area called Daimyo, the trendy part of town. This maze of streets is full of vintage stores, cool graffiti, yummy foods, and ET’s dressed in Hawaiian tees. Perhaps visit the Daimyo Soft Cream store on a hot day, or shelter in an Izakaya. Just over the main road is Imaizumi. Again there is whole menagerie of things to see, do and eat, but I want to highlight this beautiful Japanese folk toyshop called Yamabikoya. It's a humble shop, tucked away in a corner, and you will love it, from the stickers on the wall, to the carefully crafted paper dolls.
To start the Old Hakata Town Walk, find Sennen-no Mon by following the signs from Hakata station. This great gate leads to an old stone road, Jotenji, which is calm and serene, compared to the hustle and bustle of the Hakata center. The colours are almost muted to stone colours, wood colours and greens of every shade. There are many small shrines, and beautiful Japanese Zen gardens, filled with moss and careful designed overgrowth. After wandering these old streets, you’re next big stop is Tochoji Temple. Housing a great Buddha, it also has a beautiful five story Pagoda and a revolving hexagonal hall. Pros are it’s beautiful but cons, it’s next to main road, which takes away from the tranquil space. Onwards to your next stop is Kushida shrine, very popular and central to the Fukuoka people. There are many interesting little features here, stone gates, koi ponds, and trees full of oranges in the winter. The Old Hakata Town walk get gets lite up in a beautiful festival during October that is not to be missed. There is a charge for entry but you can visit many places that are normally closed to tourists, and see the art of old and new combined. Kushida Shrine can then lead you on to Canal City, a space age mall, with winding terraces; small gardens and a water fountain show every hour. There are many restaurants, Japanese souvenir shops and amusements here and a mall that is worth visiting for its fun architecture and vibe. After you’ve shopped, awed and eaten through the streets of Tenjin and Hakata you might feel the need for some greenery. In the middle of Fukuoka, or at least what I consider the middle, is Ohori Park (or Ohori-Koen in Japanese). It has a castle ruins, it has beautiful trees in autumn and spring, an art museum, and a big lake that has a runners track around the outside. I’m sure you’ll be able to get lots of information from other guides about it but my honest opinion is “it’s alright,” for a park in the middle of the city, and I felt like I had to name drop it as something to do in the city. But I’m a nature-loving girl and for me, Fukuoka is all about getting into the countryside because it’s right there on your doorstep. So next I'm going to take you places a bit further afield!
Nokonoshima Island Park is a place you should visit multiple times throughout the year because it is always changing with the seasons. I went in early November and there were fields upon fields of purple cosmos flower. It was breathtakingly stunning. Every area of the park is a tribute to one micro season, taking its turn to bloom and show off, whether it's a hill of cherry blossom trees, a field of sunflowers or a manicured garden. There are also cafes, a ceramic shop and even a retro toy shop. A definite highlight of the trip includes the wonderful view of Fukuoka and its mountain backdrop you get from the ferry journey. To get to Nokonoshima Island Park take a bus to the ferry port from Tenjin or Meinohama train station and take the ferry over (approx. one every hour). You can walk or take another bus from Nokonoshima Ferry port to the park. The Way of the light is a perfect alignment of the sunset down a perfect straight road, through Torii gates and up to the steps leading to a shrine on a hill. This occurrence happens twice a year in February and October at the Miyajidake Shrine. Don’t worry if you miss it, it’s super beautiful any day of the year, however the sunset is worth seeing so try and find a non cloudy afternoon to go.
Beautiful Yanagawa, a taste of the canal ways of old Japan. This beautiful and quiet town is about an hour away from Fukuoka. Japan has been very reliant on water for transport throughout its history. At Yanagawa you feel like you’re in old japan, with your boatman singing old songs, traversing narrow bridges, a seeing traditional Japanese buildings and beautiful sakura trees. After your trip down the river you can take a free bus back to the start or weave through the scenic paths and follow the canal back. Take the Nishitetsu train from Tenjin towards Omuta for Yanagawa and walk to the canals near the Mihashira Shrine for a boat ride.
Something I noticed during the summer is very few people visit the beach during the week, even if the weather is good. Perhaps the weekends are different or I just went to the wrong places. However I enjoyed these quiet times, and soaked up the tranquility and vitamin D. Keya Beach was empty when I went despite the cove being scenic with beautiful calm waters. Fukae beach is the most accessible beach I found in Itoshima, as you only take the train and a short walk. Perfect for a half-day trip to the beach or to see the sunset. Although more accessible by car, I will teach you the secrets I have learnt to travel around Itoshima. Take the Kuko Subway line from Tenjin or Hakata towards Meinohama and Chikuzen-Maebaru. Some of the buses you can only find in apple maps. You can go to Chikuzen-Maebaru and get the cheaper community bus to various beaches including Keya and Sakurai Futamigaura (comes with a bit of walk normally) or Kyudai-Gakkentoshi for a Nishitetsu bus for Sakurai Futamigaura.
If you go left after the exit from the Buddha you can explore more off the beaten track, including a love shrine and an owl shrine. This is part of a pilgrimage route that takes you full circle, but is not well sign posted which is such a shame because of how quaint and rural this part is. If you use Google maps to head in the right direction, you will eventually come to a country park off the busy main road that has a map of the route. It is a little way out though. The walk is a little uphill and path is bumpy so please take care. Due to large numbers of sightseers to this area the temple has asked that big groups refrain from going, and that you dress modestly. For the Buddha, take a train from Hakata to Kidonanzoin-Mae.
There are many hiking paths here that are well laid out and sign posted. You don’t have to climb a mountain but there are several you can choice from, or take the more flat circular route. Ihara-san and Raizan are great mountains for a hike! They both are worth a full days hike. It’s very quick to get to Raizan via public transport if you know the cheat! So to get to Raizan you need to use apple maps not Google to find your route. You can take the subway from Tenjin to Chikuzen-Maebaru and go to the bus station on the South gate but getting the bus is a little tricky. Pay close attention to the bus times, they only go up and back once every 2-3 hours and if you miss it you’re screwed. Use your apple maps to time it perfectly I hope you find some interesting things to do in Fukuoka and that my guide is helpful to some. If you have any questions please feel free to email me!
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