Lots of Japan’s bigger cities have made sensory overload a part of their eclectic attraction. Fukuoka, then again, has managed a unique type of attract that dials down the overwhelm and spaghetti-like metro maps, and places its famend easy-going character on full blast.

Thought-about Tokyo’s extra laid-back cousin, Fukuoka surprises and delights from the get-go with its dreamy six-minute subway commute from the airport direct to downtown, the place trendy conveniences abound with out the extraordinary crowds.

With its flat and simply walkable streets, mixture of immersive sights, and distinctive eating tradition that successfully ties your complete metropolis collectively by means of one collective dinner desk, Fukuoka offers you a lot to write dwelling about. Listed here are among the finest things to do in Fukuoka.

1. Be part of the nightly ceremonial dinner on the metropolis’s yatai road meals stalls

Nowhere are you able to expertise the unbelievable intersection of Fukuoka’s meals tradition than sitting down at a yatai. These road meals stalls are greater than only a place to eat; they’re a lifestyle, an opportunity to mingle after the solar goes down, and a possibility for social intimacy and connection that may usually elude large cities. 

Fukuoka is dwelling to round 100 independently-run yatai centered within the Nakasu, Tenjin and Nagahama areas, accommodating a median of eight to 10 folks at a time. The most well-liked stretch of yatai for guests is on the Yatai-mura evening market alongside the Nakasu River, nonetheless you’ll largely be within the firm of different out-of-towners. 

To brush shoulders with a neighborhood crowd, enterprise away from the riverfront and to one of many many extra solitary set-ups that dot the map round city.

Huddled up on small stools across the heat of the grill, with pleasant banter punctuating the air and intermittent heightened scorching as one other dish hits the recent plate, you by no means know what lottery of characters you’ll meet. 

Many yatai have a no cell phones coverage to encourage interplay – put your cellphone away and savor the meals and the corporate.

Native Tip: Given the small variety of seats, when you’re not consuming or ingesting, the etiquette is to pay up and depart. Attempt to restrict your keep to round an hour and keep away from visiting in massive teams. If you happen to don’t know what to order and dietary necessities permit, you’ll be able to depart it up to the chef’s advice by saying “osusume onegaishimasu”. 

2. Stroll Ōhori Park

Throughout daylight, nothing beats Ōhori-kōen for a relaxed wander and window into the on a regular basis lives of Fukuokans.

Centered round a big tranquil pond, the park is on the grounds of the outdated Fukuoka Citadel, the remnants of that are additionally free to try on the park’s outskirts.

Apparently, the pond itself is a part of the previous moat system (Ōhori being the Japanese phrase for moat) and now options three small islands, all interconnected by charming bridges, that make the park a well-liked city escape.

For locals, Ōhori-kōen serves as a chill hangout, date spot and train observe. On any given day, you’ll see pockets of exercise: pals assembly for espresso on the on-site Starbucks, {couples} taking swan boats out onto the water, and a gentle stream of joggers and canine walkers utilizing the 2km-trail (1.2 miles) across the pond. 

3. Dine on Hakata ramen and different well-known regional specialties

When it’s time to eat, Hakata ramen, Fukuoka’s tonkotsu fine-noodle ramen based mostly on a pork bone broth, is commonly high of the culinary record. It’s a typical dish served at yatai, however the Japanese ramen chain – Ichiran– can be extraordinarily standard. Fukuoka is the place the franchise famously originated.

Ichiran prospects can totally customise their order, from the richness of the soup to the firmness of the noodles, by circling the choices on a pre-printed sheet with English translations. 

The counter seating might be probably the most enjoyable, the place partitions separate every buyer and your ramen is introduced by an nameless server who passes the bowl from behind a bamboo curtain.

Different must-try native specialties embody mentaiko (spicy cod roe), motsunabe (beef or pork gut with garlic chives, cabbage and different substances, boiled in a soy or miso-based soup) and Fukuoka’s large and juicy amaō strawberries.

Native Tip: Essentially the most handy place to decide up native edible souvenirs, together with on the spot Hakata ramen packs and amaō strawberry sweets is at Ming (マイング) on 1F of Hakata Station, the place you’ll discover a whole space devoted to the area’s specialty meals.

4. Try town from Fukuoka Tower and different viewpoints

Head up the 234m-tall (768ft) Fukuoka Tower, the tallest seaside tower in Japan, for unimpeded panoramic views of town, sea and mountains. The tower is arguably most dazzling at evening when its mirrored façade turns into the backdrop to seasonal illumination shows and the view from the 123m (404ft) commentary deck turns to twinkly nightscape.

If you happen to can’t make it to the tower, one of many metropolis’s finer pure locales, Nishi Park, gives a free vantage level with an nearly equally spectacular view of town skyline and Hakata Bay, particularly come spring when the park’s 1300 cherry timber are in bloom.

Different free perches embody the commentary terrace on the rooftop ground of Hakata Station and ACROS Fukuoka with its putting 50,000 plant-strong outside “Step Backyard”. 

Guests can ascend a sequence of staircases from the second to the 14th ground and marvel on the number of plant species. An commentary deck on the high ground additionally operates on weekends and public holidays.

5. Store ‘til you drop at Canal Metropolis

Canal Metropolis is Fukuoka’s crown jewel for trend and way of life items. With an precise 180m (591ft) canal working by means of it, this stylish five-floor shopping center is a full leisure and eating complicated housing a few of Japan’s most well-known shops like Muji, Uniqlo and Francfranc together with a bunch of worldwide manufacturers, similar to Adidas, Levi’s, Hole and Disney, to appease any shopaholic.

When in want of a breather, pop over to neighboring Kushida Shrine, dwelling of the annual Hakata Gion Yamakasa Competition in July. One of many towering competition floats is on show year-round.

Planning Tip: Benefit from the fountain shows on the mall’s Solar Plaza each half hour from 10am, and within the evenings, marvel on the 3D projection mapping present “Canal Aqua Panorama” on the huge display screen.

6. Delight in yesteryear on Hakata Kawabata-dōri buying road

Lower than 10 minutes on foot and also you’ll end up at Hakata Kawabata-dōri, a vigorous buying arcade of greater than 100 native shops, from clothes and native wares to contemporary produce and eating places. Stretching 400m (1313ft) and with greater than 130 years of historical past, Fukuoka’s oldest buying road maintains a post-WWII Showa-era vibe not brief on nostalgia.

For a candy deal with, make certain to strive the arcade’s specialty Kawabata Zenzai, purple bean soup with grilled mochi truffles, at Kawabata Zenzai Hiroba (open weekends and public holidays solely) and gaze on the Yamakasa competition float inside.

Planning Tip: To expertise the road in full swing, Kawabata Procuring Road is finest visited from noon onwards as most retailers don’t open till late morning.

7. Marvel on the Reclining Buddha at Nanzōin Temple

Nothing fairly prepares you for that unbelievable first gaze upon the Reclining Nehanzō Buddha at Nanzōin Temple. At a staggering 41m (134ft) lengthy, 11m excessive (36ft) and 300 metric tonnes (the equal of a jumbo jet), the Reclining Buddha dwarfs the extra well-known sitting statues in Kamakura and Nara.

The reclining pose is a rarity in Japan – extra generally seen in South East Asia – and signifies Buddha in the meanwhile of loss of life and coming into nirvana. The statue was inbuilt 1995 to home the ashes of the Buddha that got as a present to Nanzōin by the nation of Myanmar in gratitude for donating medical provides.

For these searching for luck, touching the intricate soles of the Buddha’s ft is alleged to convey luck. The temple is credited with lottery wins, with the top priest himself allegedly among the many winners.

Planning Tip: Whereas the temple is accessible 24/7, gates to the Reclining Buddha are closed at 4:30pm. Guests ought to notice that publicity of tattoos and revealing apparel isn’t permitted.

8. Honor the deity of studying and tradition on the Dazaifu Tenmangū Shrine

Enveloped in 1100 years of historical past, Dazaifu Tenmangū is devoted to the ninth-century scholar Sugawara Michizane, who’s enshrined right here as Tenjin – the Shinto deity of studying, tradition and the humanities. As the top of some 12,000 Tenjin shrines throughout the nation, Dazaifu is very standard amongst college students wishing to pray for good outcomes throughout entrance examination season.

Pattern the normal candy of the shrine umegae-mochi, a crispy rice cake crammed with sweetened azuki purple bean paste and imprinted with a plum blossom crest, the image of Dazaifu. Believed a favourite flower of Sugawara, the shrine’s 6000 plum timber draw spectacular crowds after they bloom en masse in late winter to early spring.