FUKUOKA HOTELS & TRAVEL GUIDE

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Fukuoka, also known by its traditional name Hakata, is the largest city on the Japanese island of Kyushu. Hakata Station is the terminus of Japan's bullet train going from Osaka, Tokyo, and beyond, though the final leg of the bullet train going to Kagoshima is currently under construction.

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Fukuoka is a modern city; most of its buildings are new. Historically, it was divided into Hakata and Fukuoka, two separate cities divided by the central river, but although the main Japan Railways station is located in Hakata, and is called JR Hakata, Hakata-ku is now merely one ward of Fukuoka city.

View of Acros, Fukuoka. Photo 2005.

The city really has two centres in Hakata and Tenjin. Most of the English information for foreign travellers is available on the 8th floor of the IMS building, just to the east of Tenjin Nishitetsu station.

Fukuoka prefecture is the name of the surrounding area.

Getting to Fukuoka

Fukuoka airport (IATA code FUK) is located to the east of the city at the end of one branch of the subway.

Get around
The Fukuoka subway station, located under the JR Hakata Station, can also take passengers straight to Fukuoka International Airport, as well as to Tenjin, the city's de facto downtown district, as well as to other major stops. There is also a passenger tunnel, useful during the frequent rains in summer and bitter cold winds in winter, which connects Hakata and Gion subways stations, the latter of which is close to some of Fukuoka City's most interesting temples and shrines.

Fukuoka Sight Seeing

Tourists visiting Fukuoka should not miss the beautiful Ohori park located 2 stops west of Tenjin on the subway.

Sky Dream Fukuoka, located in Fukuoka City's western ward, is one of the world's largest Ferris wheels at a height of 120 metres (about 400 feet). Fukuoka Castle located adjacent to Ohori Koen (Park) features the remaining stone walls and ramparts left after a devastating fire during the upheaval of the Meiji Restoration. It has now been preserved along with some reconstructed prefabricate concrete towers constructed during the 1950s and 1960s, when there was a trend across Japan to rebuild damaged castles as tourist attractions.

The area is also famous for 2 local annual festivals, the Dontaku (May 3-4) and the Yamakasa (July 1-15), both of which are some of Japan's oldest and draw huge crowds.

Fukuoka, along the banks of the river; Photographer: Thorfinn Stainforth; 2004

Do
A bus ride across the bay is also highly recommended for the sweeping views of the port, the ocean, and outlying islands.

Shopping in Fukuoka

There are a lot of shops in Tenjin: Tenjin core, Vivre, Underground, Iwataya, and so on. And There is a big shop 'Canal City' in Fukuoka. Canal City has many kind of rare character shops. For example, Osame Tezuka's goods shop, Studio Ghibli's goods shop. You can see rare goods and enjoy.

Eat
Hakata is famous for its style of ramen, which has a very pungent smell and made with a pork soup broth. Stalls called yatai set up from late afternoon nearly all serve it, and can be found on major streets, particularly in Tenjin, Nakasu, and most of all on Nagahama-Dori.
 
Another regional product Hakata is famous for is the spicy mentaiko, or cod roe condiment, though in actuality these days it is all imported. Both products are widely available for tourists in JR Hakata Station as well as major department stores, although the mentaiko needs to be kept refrigerated.

(Article based on Wikitravel article by Wikitravel users Jpatokal, Akira742, Nzpcmad and Andyc and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Article used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0.)